HIV/AIDS Fact Sheets & Abstracts

Globally, social workers are proactively providing critical services to individuals, families, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS. Social workers are employed in a wide range of community settings, including public, non-profit, and for-profit organizations.1 Therefore, working with a diverse and changing population in supportive, clinical, and administrative roles requires that social workers be capable of providing up to date expertise on research, policy, and evidence-based clinical approaches.

Convergent sources suggest that as many as 600,000 families are homeless annually in the United States. Approximately 1.6 million persons used an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program during the 12-month period, with cities reporting an average of 12 percent increase of homelessness since 2007. (HUD, 2009; SAMHSA, 2005).

As a profession, social work has been on the frontline of service provision since the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. During the ensuing decades, the social work profession has responded to changes in the epidemiology, treatment and funding of HIV/AIDS. Once viewed as an acute health condition often resulting in lethal opportunistic infections and early death, the advent of multiple anti-HIV regiments has moved HIV/AIDS into the realm of chronic manageable disease.

As a profession, social work has been on the frontline of service provision since the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. During the ensuing decades, the social work profession has responded to changes in the epidemiology, treatment, and funding of HIV/AIDS. Once viewed as an acute health condition often resulting in lethal opportunistic infections and early death, the advent of multiple anti-HIV regiments has moved HIV/AIDS into the realm of chronic manageable disease.

The right to health is increasingly understood to more broadly include the diverse rights that relate to access to prevention, care, treatment, and support for persons living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. Scarce resources, confidentiality protections, end of life issues, mandatory reporting requirements, dual relationships, coupled with the stigma and discrimination toward marginalized and at-risk groups (for example, sex workers, homeless, persons with substance abuse histories, and racial/ethnic and/or sexual minorities) often find providers confronted with difficult ethical questions or dilemmas at both the micro (individual) and macro (systemic) levels of practice.

Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences - Housing, Mental Health, and Immigration Policies on HIV/AIDS Care, Access, and Retention Panel.