Tailoring a vocational rehabilitation program to the needs of people with HIV/AIDS: The Harbor-UCLA experience | Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center

Authors:	Mateer, C. A. & Sira, C. S.
Year Published	2005
Publication	Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
Volume	22
Number	2
Pages	95-103
Publisher	IOS Press
Background	New treatments introduced in the early to mid-1990s have led to improved health and quality of life for many people with HIV/AIDS. These increased health and quality of life improvements have prompted some to consider workforce reentry.
Purpose	The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the work done in the three study projects to assist people with HIV/AIDS in reentering the workforce.
Setting	The setting was various community mental health centers.
Sample	Three projects were undertaken. The first included a series of focus groups of people with HIV/AIDS that had contemplated going back to work and a survey of HIV/AIDS case management clients. The second project was a 5 year demonstration program to integrate vocational rehabilitation services, psychosocial care, and HIV treatment. The program accepted referrals from community agencies in the Long Beach area of Los Angeles County. The third project was a clinical trial of an intervention to address issues observed in the demonstration project.
Data Collection	Participants are followed for 24 months by a case manager to gather employment data.
Control	The control group received standard treatment conditions available in the community.
Findings	Of the first forty-seven people randomized into the enhanced condition, over a third have made some measurable progress. The return to work rates of the two conditions have not been compared yet.
Conclusions	There is a continued need for workforce reentry services for individuals with HIV/AIDS.
URL	http://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr00277
Disabilities
Populations	Male & Female
Outcomes	Employment acquisition
NIDILRR Funded	No
Research Design	Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
Peer Reviewed	Yes

Year Published

2005

Publication

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Volume

22

Number

2

Pages

95-103

Publisher

IOS Press

Background

New treatments introduced in the early to mid-1990s have led to improved health and quality of life for many people with HIV/AIDS. These increased health and quality of life improvements have prompted some to consider workforce reentry.

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the work done in the three study projects to assist people with HIV/AIDS in reentering the workforce.

Setting

The setting was various community mental health centers.

Sample

Three projects were undertaken. The first included a series of focus groups of people with HIV/AIDS that had contemplated going back to work and a survey of HIV/AIDS case management clients. The second project was a 5 year demonstration program to integrate vocational rehabilitation services, psychosocial care, and HIV treatment. The program accepted referrals from community agencies in the Long Beach area of Los Angeles County. The third project was a clinical trial of an intervention to address issues observed in the demonstration project.

Data Collection

Participants are followed for 24 months by a case manager to gather employment data.

Control

The control group received standard treatment conditions available in the community.

Findings

Of the first forty-seven people randomized into the enhanced condition, over a third have made some measurable progress. The return to work rates of the two conditions have not been compared yet.

Conclusions

There is a continued need for workforce reentry services for individuals with HIV/AIDS.

URL

http://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr00277

Disabilities

Populations

Male & Female

Outcomes

Employment acquisition

NIDILRR Funded

No

Research Design

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Peer Reviewed

Yes