Nearly a Quarter of HIV Patients in Los Angeles Homeless Within Last Year, Expert Says

In Los Angeles county, approximately 23% of people living with HIV have experienced unstable housing or homelessness in the past 12 months, according to Sonali Kulkarni, M.D., M.P.H., medical director in the Division of HIV and STD Programs at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Kulkarni recently sat down with Managed Healthcare Executive to explain why the prevalence is so high and cited the systemic barriers to care that these patients face.

“HIV is still a stigmatized disease, and so is being gay, bisexual or transgender, which we do know that HIV disproportionately affects and can put people at risk for falling out of relationships with their family and their community,” Kulkarni said. “That means they have less social support when they're facing financial constraints.”

Sonali Kulkarni, M.D., M.P.H.

Homeless HIV patients may also have competing needs, and when compared to finding food, water or shelter, healthcare may not be as much of a priority.

“Just accessing public assistance programs can be so difficult,” Kulkarni said. “A lot of times, there's a certain amount of paperwork and administrative hurdles that must be overcome to get care, including having forms of identification like birth certificates. If you have been homeless and you've had your belongings stolen, lost or taken in a street sweep, it's hard to replace those documents.”