Instructions response must be at least 300 words written in current

1. Instructions: Response must be at least 300 words written in
current APA format with at least two academic references cite.
References must be within the last five years. Response must
extend, refute/correct, or add additional nuance.
To bridge the gap in healthcare disparities for patients with
HIV, there must be more measures taken in the community to
promote these patients’ health. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention report there are over 1.2 million people living in
the US with HIV and although new diagnoses made annually are
falling the progress remains uneven. For example, gay and
bisexual men made up an estimated 2% of the U.S. population
in 2013 but 55% of the number of Americans living with HIB
which means that 1 in 6 gay men will be diagnosed with HIV in
their lifetime (The Human Rights Campaign, n.d.).
Aspire Health Partner’s Centaur program is one example of how
to bridge the gap in healthcare disparities for HIV. This mental
health organization in Orlando Florida works closely with
community leaders to provide free HIV and hepatitis testing,
educational sessions, and counseling for mental health and
substance abuse to the homeless and underinsured. The Centaur
program also offers free housing opportunities specifically for
the homeless population who have HIV. A key benefit that the
Centaur program provides the community is the interactive
education sessions for teens. Using interactive, student-centered
methods of teaching, rather than heavily didactic ones, has been
proven to be more successful. HIV education can help teens to
not only develop and maintain safer behaviors but also reduce
stigma and discrimination towards people affected by it and
living with HIV (UNAIDS, n.d.).
An important step to bridge the gap in underserved teens who
have mental health is to ensure they are being screening and

2. referred to the appropriate place for treatment. Rather than let
society and peer pressure steer them in the wrong direction,
they need professional help for their mental health needs.
Substance abuse and mental health issues affect millions of
adolescents in the US and statistics also show that about 1 in 4
adolescents who experience mental disorders will suffer from
severe impairment and only about half of the adolescents who
suffer from mental health issues do receive services (Lipari et
al., 2018). Part of this lack of treatment is an inadequate
screening of these conditions. As teens are being seen by their
primary care providers, school counselors, and school nurses
they should be screened for any red flags of substance abuse or
mental health issues. These signs include worsening anger,
failing grades, suicidal ideations, acting out, problems at
school, physical fights, isolation, and eating problems.
Aspire Health Partner’s navigation program helps to bridge this
gap by collaborating with the local sheriff department and
primary care offices to provide education about what mental
health services are available for teens and be a point of contact
for referrals. If the sheriff’s office is called to an altercation at
school or a primary care office sees a patient showing signs of
depression or other mental illness, they can fax the navigation
team a patient referral and the team will follow up with the
patient and family to set up treatment. The treatment options
might include outpatient counseling, group therapy, family
therapy, and inpatient crisis stabilization if indicated.