Women's Initiative Supporting Health Increasing Healthcare Access

Women recently released (RR women) from incarceration constitute a vulnerable group characterized by high rates of untreated HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), substance use disorder (SUD), mental health (MH) disorders and trauma. This interconnected syndemic requires helping RR women to overcome multiple internal and structural care barriers. This R34 builds on work conducted by the PI in a NIDA-funded K23 project, in which an intervention called Women's Initiative Supporting Health (WISH) was developed to improve RR women's engagement in HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), and primary medical care using Self Determination Theory (SDT). The proposed R34 project, a natural extension of this prior work, will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the WISH intervention to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness.