AIDS at 30: Implications for Social Work Education

This article reviews themes and changes in the teaching of HIV/AIDS content in social work programs over the last 30 years. Social work education in the first decade of the epidemic was largely focused on helping clients in the death and dying process, while medical and pharmaceutical advancements in the mid 1990s drastically altered the roles of social work. As social work education prepares students to face the fourth decade of the AIDS epidemic, three areas of cross-curricular intersection are highlighted: HIV/AIDS as an issue of social, racial, and economic justice; the global AIDS epidemic in the context of international social work; and the social work response to HIV/AIDS in older adults

Acceptability of a Mobile Health Unit for Rural HIV Clinical Trial Enrollment and Participation

Few rural minorities participate in HIV clinical trials. Mobile health units (MHUs) may be one strategy to increase participation. We explored community perceptions of MHU acceptability to increase clinical trial participation for rural minorities living with HIV/AIDS. We conducted 11 focus groups (service providers and community leaders) and 35 interviews (people living with HIV/AIDS). Responses were analyzed using constant comparative and content analysis techniques. Acceptable MHU use included maintaining accessibility and confidentiality while establishing credibility, community ownership and control. Under these conditions, MHUs can service rural locations and overcome geographic barriers to reaching major medical centers for clinical trials