In this episode, we were joined by Sonya Wright, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a background spanning over 30 years in various fields, including education, substance abuse prevention, and mental health treatment. Our conversation delved deeply into challenges and opportunities for strengthening and increasing the HIV workforce. We discussed provider burnout, its prevalence amongst healthcare providers, specifically those who work with people with HIV, and ways to address it. This episode reminds us of the importance of recognizing the symptoms and seeking mental health care to preserve or renew general wellness.

In this episode, we invited Dayna Morrison, MPH, Senior Director of the Oregon Primary Care Association, a regional partner of the Mountain West AETC, and Jill Coleman, MS, Program Manager of the South Central AETC’s Oklahoma regional partner, to highlight the impact of partnering with their Primary Care Associations to implement sustainable models of care for people with HIV and address the burden clinics in their remote regions sometimes face.

The new season of HIV Care Conversations will focus on challenges and opportunities for increasing the HIV workforce. In this episode, we discuss the emergence of and need for HIV training pathways in Family and Internal Medicine residency programs to increase the number and diversity of providers serving people with HIV in the U.S. We invited Dr. Phil Bolduc, Principal Investigator of the New England AETC, and Dr. Chris Bositis, Clinical Director of the AETC National Clinician Consultation Center, to share their experiences training and working with HIV fellowship and residency programs and provide information about the new HRSA HAB-funded National HIV Residency Pathway Consortium. 

In episodes one and two of HIV Care Conversations, we discussed increasing communication between medical and dental providers and increasing awareness about the benefits of trauma-informed dental care for people with HIV. Still, non-clinical team members can play an essential role in supporting this interprofessional interaction by advocating for their clients, helping them navigate the healthcare system, and emphasizing the importance of receiving routine oral healthcare care. In this episode, we chat with Helene Bednarsh, BS, RDH, MPH, Dental Director, New England AETC, about ways to elevate awareness about the unique role case managers, peer navigators, and other non-clinical team members can play in addressing barriers to care for people with HIV. 

Up to 95% of people with HIV (PWH) report having at least one traumatic experience in their lifetime, and up to 54% of PWH meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Trauma-informed care (TIC) has the potential to improve treatment, patient engagement, and health outcomes for PWH, and dentists are uniquely positioned to identify evidence of head and neck trauma early on; however, training and education about TIC integration is essential.  Dr. Jill York shares experiences from her dental program’s participation in the New Jersey HIV Trauma-Informed Care Project and discusses the impact trauma-informed care training has had on clients and staff. 

A recent study revealed that less than 40% of people in the US reported receiving medical and dental care within one year. Dr. Steve Abel and Ms. Laura O'Shea discuss with host Judy Collins, the importance of bi-directional communication between medical and dental professionals to improve healthcare acquisition, delivery, and outcomes. Our guests share strategies and examples of interventions they have employed to increase communication in HIV medical and dental care programs to improve care delivery and outcomes. 

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