Tribally-Driven HIV/AIDS Health Services Partnerships: Evidence-Based Meets Culture-Centered Interventions

Abstract

This paper describes a successful HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment project that combined medical, support, and educational services, thereby improving care in a rural American Indian tribe in the southwestern United States. Using the methods of community-based participatory evaluation and motivational interviewing, the 5-year, multiparty collaborative project improved health care access and medical regimen adherence of people with HIV/AIDS and increased the risk- and protective-factor knowledge of tribal members at high risk for the disease. The success of the collaborative in achieving all these goals highlights the importance of tribal control, collaboration, and incorporation of tradition and culture in HIV/AIDS diagnostic, treatment, and prevention efforts.