Resilience and delivery of HIV care in areas of violence and crime in South Africa

Researchers here in collaboration with the University of Western Cape in South Africa are exploring multi-level risk and protective factors/processes involved in providing HIV/AIDS treatment in primary care facilities in areas of endemic gang-related violence, crime and broader violence, with a view to recommendations for better care and treatment provision within health care services.

In recent years, the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa has been helped by the use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART), with South Africa having the largest number of people living with HIV on ART globally.

However treatment and care is particularly difficult to deliver in primary healthcare facilities in suburbs with high gang and broader violence. The impact of violence and particularly gang-related violence on access to and provision of health services has broader implications for healthcare delivery in other areas of acute and chronic health care in high violence settings.

Publications

Cooper D, Green G, Tembo D. & Christie S. Levels of resilience and delivery of HIV care in response to urban violence and crime. Journal of Advanced Nursing.