The
HIV Health Services Planning Council recently released the results of its
latest needs assessment on Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in San
Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties. This needs assessment focused on how
Latino MSM engage with the system of care, and the results revealed that this
community encounters significant cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic
barriers. This needs assessment is
the first of its kind to be produced directly by Planning Council staff, and
the number of participants and focus groups far exceeded previous those of
needs assessments conducted by outside contractors.
Participants reported encountering
barriers on several different levels: severe poverty, homelessness, linguistic
challenges, cultural differences, and issues around legal status barriers. This group reported severe levels of poverty,
with 55% bringing in less than $10,000 a year, and 14.3% receiving no income
whatsoever. Monolingual Spanish speakers were almost 10% more likely to have
been homeless or marginally housed in their lives than other Latino MSM
participants.
Despite significant barriers and
challenges, participants reported a high level of treatment adherence and viral
suppression, well above the national average. This suggests that the SF model
of care is working to engage and retain those in care. While the high rates of
viral suppression and treatment adherence indicate positive health outcomes,
these outcomes exist within a setting of severe poverty, indicating a set of
clearly unmet needs.
In light of these results, the
Council emphasized several conclusions on how to better serve this population. Providing
services in Spanish and bridging language barriers are essential for addressing
the needs of this population. It is important to measure non-clinical health
indicators to better address socioeconomic barriers to wellness. Support
services providers must be equal partners with medical providers in order to
ensure quality support in addition to quality medical care.
The HIV positive Latino MSM
community faces issues that not only constitute barriers to care, but also
barriers to voice and representation. As we move into an era of healthcare
reform, it is crucial to ensure that this population does not fall through the
cracks.
Ali Cone
Program Coordinator
SF HIV Health Services Planning Council
Program Coordinator
SF HIV Health Services Planning Council
