Connecting PLWHA in Rural Virginia to Health and Mental Health Care-Perspectives from the Life Worlds of Frontline Health Workers and PLWHA

Abstract

A number of studies reveal that African Americans who reside in rural southern areas face a number of health care challenges, including geographic isolation, poverty, limited employment opportunities, inadequate education, stigma directed toward those who engage in risky behaviors or have been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, and close-knit social networks which make it difficult both to seek and to disclose confidential HIV testing and attain prevention services.