UTHealth program expands HIV prevention services to patients with substance use disorders

Angela Heads

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has received $2.5 million to provide prevention and treatment information about HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases to people with substance abuse or mental health disorders, according to a press release.

The program, known as the UTHealth HIV Education, Awareness, Referral and Treatment for Substance Use Disorders (UT-HEARTS) Program, will provide vulnerable patients from the Houston Area with HIV testing, counseling and a case manager to assess their needs, according to the release. It will also link HIV-positive patients to care.

“The UT-HEARTS Program is an effort to increase the availability of substance use disorders treatment and HIV prevention services for underserved populations,” program director Angela Heads, PhD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School, told Infectious Disease News. “We will partner with community-based organizations to provide evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, HIV testing and HIV-prevention education.”

In collaboration with the Center for Neurobehavior Research on Addiction, Change Happens and the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, the program will include treatment for substance use disorders and relapse prevention, along with medication-assisted therapy, according to the release. The 5-year program, which will begin enrollment in January 2018, is funded by the HHS.

“The overall goal is to increase the number of people who are aware of their HIV status and increase the availability of substance use disorders treatment to people who are at risk,” Heads said. “Through our evaluation of the program, we hope to inform future research and increase our understanding of how to make services more accessible and effective.” – by Savannah Demko

Disclosure: Heads reports no relevant financial disclosures.