Affiliations: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and the David Geffen School
of Medicine, UCLA, Torrance, CA, USA | Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance,
CA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: David J. Martin, Department of
Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1000 W. Carson Street Box 488,
Torrance, CA 90509, USA. E-mail: djmartin@ucla.edu
Abstract: New treatments introduced in the early to mid 1990s led to greatly
improved health and quality of life for many people with HIV/AIDS, prompting
some to consider workforce reentry. In this paper, we relate three projects we
have undertaken since 1996 in which we have worked to develop an understanding
of the workforce reentry process for people with HIV/AIDS. In the first, a
survey of HIV/AIDS case management clients throughout Los Angeles County, we
noted a substantial need for workforce reentry assistance services, and noted
six broad categories of workforce-reentry concern for people with HIV/AIDS. Our
second project was designed as a demonstration project to assist people with
HIV/AIDS in their efforts to return to work. We found, among other things, that
significant obstacles unrelated to employment also thwarted workforce reentry
efforts. Finally, in our current clinical-trials study, we continue to learn
from participants in their efforts to rejoin the workforce. We discuss our
cumulative results to date, and highlight certain future directions for
research and service.
