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Ethical Issues Still Abound In Treatment of HIV/AIDS

Athens, GA (PRWEB) May 18, 2006 -- A quarter of a century into the most significant health crisis of our time, health care providers still face considerable challenges in the ethical care of persons with AIDS, according to Dr. Angela Londoño-McConnell, a psychologist who has been involved in HIV prevention efforts for the past two decades. She notes that while advances have been made in the medical treatment of HIV/AIDS, a variety of ethical concerns continue to confront our healthcare system.

Although education and prevention efforts have made great strides in curtailing the number of infected persons, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 people continue to be infected each year in the United States. Now that federal officials are concerned that the battle against AIDS may be stalling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending routine screening for HIV for anyone aged 13-64 years.

This recommendation will likely highlight a host of concerns shared by both patients and health care personnel regarding privacy, access to medical services, and possible discrimination as a result of an HIV-positive status. Disturbingly, an HIV diagnosis carries today some of the same latent and non-latent biases as it did 25 years ago both in health care and in the general population.

As of 2004, twenty-eight states had laws that made it a crime, often a felony, for someone to knowingly spread the HIV virus through sexual contact, shared needles, or other forms of transmission. In many of those states, there is often another law which requires infected individuals to notify current and past partners. However, if the CDC’s recommendations for routine HIV screenings are implemented, this may have far-reaching ethical and legal implications for health care workers. Of particular concern are those situations where the infected person is unwilling to notify their partners. Many practitioners are then faced with the ethical dilemma surrounding their duty-to-warn and the legal battles that may ensue.

Given that more than a million people have HIV in the United States alone and that many are unaware of their infection, routine HIV screenings will likely identify greater numbers of HIV-infected persons. While this is our goal, it will likely tax an overburdened healthcare system working to serve this population of patients.

Dr. Kip Matthews, co-founder of AK Counseling & Consulting, Inc. says that “access to health care, rigorous and complex medical regimens, mental health treatment concerns, societal discrimination, limited resources, and legal issues already make it difficult for practitioners to adequately and effectively serve persons with HIV or AIDS.”

On June 7, 2006, Dr. Angela Londoño-McConnell will present a workshop in Athens, Georgia discussing the ethical and legal challenges that arise in the behavioral health treatment of persons infected with HIV. While this workshop is open to the general public, mental health professionals may obtain three hours of continuing education credit in Ethics through their participation. To register, please contact AK Counseling & Consulting, Inc. at (706) 613-5290 or e-mail at info@akcconline.com.

Dr. Londoño-McConnell earned her Ph.D. degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis and has been active in local, regional, and national professional associations. She has held a variety of higher education positions, including posts at Boston University, Northeastern University, and the University of Georgia. Dr. Londoño-McConnell is also certified as a HOPE Trainer by the American Psychological Association to provide education and training to mental health professionals about working with persons with HIV/AIDS. She has also provided a variety of training programs on issues of diversity. She is bilingual and offers counseling in Spanish.

Dr. Matthews earned his Ph.D. degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tennessee. He has offered programs on numerous topics including stress management, men's issues, relationship enhancement, and sport performance enhancement. His research has been presented at the American Psychological Association, the American College Personnel Association, and in a variety of other forums. Dr. Matthews has broad and extensive experience in providing psychological services at a number of universities including the University of Maryland, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia. He is currently credentialed by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.

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