May 2021
CHAS eNews
Service Innovation
Gender disparities in access and retention in outpatient methadone treatment for opioid use disorder in low-income urban communities
In a new publication, Jeanne C. Marsh (Director of CHAS and the George Herbert Jones Distinguished Service Professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice) and a team of researchers examine gender disparities in access and retention among outpatient methadone treatment programs located in low-income urban communities in Los Angeles, California. In this study, researchers collected client- and program-level data in four waves between 2011 and 2017 from publicly funded methadone treatment programs that served more than 11,000 clients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The study revealed gender disparities in both access and retention where women waited longer than men to access treatment and also remained in treatment longer. The study also highlights that female clients who identified as African American, Latino, and Other were more likely to have a shorter treatment duration than clients who identified as non-Latino white and men. Clients with OUD receiving methadone treatment in low-income communities faced a number of barriers related to treatment access and retention. They recommend improving treatment access and retention for women with OUD through comprehensive, gender-specific, and evidence-based programming. Read the complete study and highlights below.
Shared decision making for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with black transgender women
In the US, transgender women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are estimated to have approximately 22% community prevalence of HIV. Black transgender women in particular face high rates of HIV transmission. A new paper coauthored by John A. Schneider (CHAS Fellow and Professor in the Departments of Medicine & Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago) examines shared decision making – a collaborative process intended to develop a treatment plan that considers both the patient’s preferences and the health provider’s medical recommendations – about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with Black transgender women in Chicago, Illinois. In this study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with Black transgender women between 2016 and 2017. The study revealed that internalized transphobia and racism, combined with stigma from service providers, prevented disclosure of gender and sexual identity to providers. The authors highlight that stigma about PrEP as it relates to Black transgender women results in stereotype threat, which undermines patient-provider trust and deters shared decision making for PrEP. The authors emphasize that shared decision making promotes cultural humility and builds trust within the patient-provider relationship, which leads to better communication and less stigma. Read the full paper about their study and findings below.
CHAS Podcasts
Invisible Visits: Black Middle-Class Women in the American Healthcare System
Dr. Tina Sacks, AM ’98, PhD ’13 Assistant Professor
School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley
Surgeon General of California; Author of The Deepest Well; CEO/Founder of the Center for Youth Wellness
The Importance of Community Asset Mapping, Medical Integration with Social Sciences, and Youth Involvement
Dr. Stacy Lindau, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine, UChicago Medicine and CIO/Founder of NowPow
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Announcements
Apply to our Doctoral Research Stipend Program by May 31st
The Center for Health Administration Studies (CHAS) supports health policy and services research by offering a stipend to doctoral students who play an active role in the research of CHAS fellows, CHAS affiliates, and other CHAS-funded faculty members. Stipend recipients will receive a total of $3,000 of financial support, which will be distributed in three $1,000 increments, one increment per quarter in most cases. Learn more about the Doctoral Research Stipend Program and how to apply on our website.
Application Due: May 31, 2021
Recipients Announced: July 2021
Stipend Start Date: September 2021
Stipend End Date: June 2022
Watch Michael M. Davis eLectures on YouTube
Each academic quarter, the Center for Health Administration Studies sponsors the Michael M. Davis Lecture Series, which brings renowned policy experts, researchers, and commentators to the University to explore the intersection of health policy and the broad needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. If you missed a lecture, you can access the recording of any lecture on our YouTube channel and watch at your leisure!