HIV Prevention and Treatment among Native Americans: Strategies for Providing Culturally-Competent Care

Release Date: February 7, 2025
Expiration Date: February 7, 2027
Estimated Time to Complete: 1.00 hour

Webinar Highlights:

According to the CDC, from 2017-2021, Native Americans were one of only two racial/ethnic groups in the United States to see an increase in new HIV diagnoses. There are a number of reasons why these disparities exist, which include lack of access to care, medical mistrust, and social determinants of health. Many Native Americans living with HIV or at risk of acquiring HIV do not receive care through the Indian Health Service, or at a Tribal or Urban facility (I/T/U). Therefore, there is a for clinicians who don’t work in a Native-operated facility but who provide HIV-related care to Native Americans, to learn about the unique needs of this population and how they and their teams can incorporate best practices for delivering care that is culturally sensitive.

Learning Objectives

After participating in the activity, learners should be better able to:

Identify current barriers for Native Americans in accessing HIV prevention and treatment services, and solutions to overcome them
Develop strategies to overcome medical mistrust, stigma and ability to incorporate trauma informed care when providing care to Native Americans
Apply the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Strategy (Indigi-HAS) in the health care setting with your team utilizing a syndemic approach

What You Can Expect:

Practical Application of the Science: Our expert faculty educators will guide you through this engaging and informative program, and offer suggestions on how you can apply best practices to patient care.
Patient-Centered Care: Learn from faculty who are directly involved in patient care about strategies for providing compassionate care that addresses individuals’ unique needs and challenges.
Team Focused: Explore how HIV clinicians from multiple professions are collaborating to optimize patient care.

By participating, you’ll not only enhance your professional development but also be better prepared to contribute as an HIV team member toward better healthcare outcomes for your patients.

Activity Faculty

Jace Dyckman, BS, is Program Coordinator for HIV Services at Riverstone Health City/County Health Department (Montana). He is a dedicated advocate for HIV care, inspired by their own diagnosis with AIDS in 1995. With a Bachelor of Science in Human Services (2010) and a Certificate in Public Health (2018), Jace Dyckman actively contributes to the State HIV Community Planning Group and the Viral Hepatitis Advisory Council.

Katie Presser, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP is Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Statewide Antimicrobial Stewardship Services at Alaska Native Medical Center. Katie has been the antimicrobial stewardship/infectious diseases pharmacist at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for the last 8 years. She completed a residency at Providence Alaska Medical Center and fell in love with Alaska. She graduated pharmacy school from Butler University. When not at work, she can be found with her husband, 2 boys, and 2 dogs trying to gain exposure to Alaska and the world.

Amanda Reed, DO, AOBFP, is the Clinical Director of Addiction Medicine for the Muscogee Creek Nation Department of Health (Oklahoma). She developed the Hepatitis C and HIV program at the Muscogee Nation Department of Health where she provides care for viral hepatitis, HIV treatment and prevention, STIs, Addiction and LGBTQ2+ sensitive and gender affirming care. She is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and Family Medicine. She completed her training in Family Medicine at Northeastern Health System in Tahlequah Oklahoma in 2015. She completed her Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Oklahoma in 2012, and received her Bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University. She is the Alternate Regional Director for Region VII with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She serves as a member of the Oklahoma HIV and Hepatitis Planning Council, the Oklahoma Hepatitis C Elimination Council and the National Native HIV Network. She is a proud Cherokee woman and mother of three.

David Stephens, BSN, RN, is the ECHO Clinic Director for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (Oregon). David earned a BA in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College and a BSN from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. In his role as ECHO Clinic Director, David serves the 43 tribes of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board by focusing on the development and implementation of technology-based health interventions. He also manages a telehealth service for clinicians serving the American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Target Audience:

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of the HIV care team, including physicians (both specialists and primary care/family medicine), NPs, PAs, nurses, and pharmacists who are in training or who are in practice but are new to HIV medicine. Other healthcare providers may also participate.

Accreditation and Credit Designation

In support of improving patient care, American Academy of CME, Inc. is Jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

American Academy of CME, Inc., designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

NPs and Nurses:

American Academy of CME, Inc., designates this educational activity for 1.0 ANCC contact hours

California
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16993 for 1.0 contact hours.

Physician Assistants

American Academy of CME, Inc. has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until February 7, 2027. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

All other members of the care team will receive a certificate of participation.

Disclosures

According to the disclosure policy of the Academy, all faculty, planning committee members, editors, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relationships with any ineligible company(ies). The existence of these relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the activity. Clinical content has been reviewed for fair balance and scientific objectivity, and all of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Faculty Educator/Planner Disclosures

All faculty educators/planners have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
This activity will not include discussion of off-label uses of approved agents and/or investigational agents.

Implicit Bias

Implicit bias refers to unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that influence our thoughts, judgements, decisions, and actions without our awareness. Everyone is susceptible to implicit bias, even clinicians. In healthcare, implicit biases can have a significant impact on the quality of care an individual receives. These biases can be both favorable and unfavorable, and are activated involuntarily without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.

Studies have indicated that healthcare providers’ incorrect perceptions can impact providers’ communications and clinical decision-making contributing to disparities in clinical outcomes. Addressing implicit biases in healthcare is critical to improving health outcomes and promoting health equity for all patients. Patient-centered care can reduce the impact of implicit bias, by treating each patient as a unique individual who may or may not hold beliefs associated with their backgrounds and circumstances. In addition, recognizing implicit bias in one’s own practice using techniques such as self-reflection and mindful clinical decision-making can ensure more equitable and effective care to all patients.

Over the past several decades, cognitive science research has demonstrated human behavior, beliefs and attitudes are shaped by automatic and unconscious cognitive processes. The healthcare profession is devoting greater attention to how these automatic and unconscious processes impact care including: (1) preferential treatment toward or against specific patient populations causing healthcare inequities, (2) influence patient-provider communications leading to misunderstandings and mistrust, and (3) impact access to healthcare and affect treatment decisions resulting in misdiagnosis, delays in treatment and specialty referrals and poor pain management.

Considering one might have unconscious biases and exploring them may be uncomfortable because the very idea that they exist may conflict with how clinicians perceive themselves. It is only by becoming aware of one’s unconscious biases that members of the healthcare team can take steps to mitigate them to ensure all their patients are treated receive quality healthcare.

Instructions on How to Receive Credit

There are no fees to participate in the activity. Participants must review the activity information including the learning objectives and disclosure statements, as well as the content of the activity. To receive CME/CE credit for your participation, please complete the post-assessment and program evaluation. Your certificate will be available for printing immediately.

Privacy and Contact

For more information about the American Academy of CME privacy policy, please access http://www.academycme.org/privacy.htm For any questions, please contact: [email protected].

Hardware/Software Requirements

This program should be viewed at a resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher using current versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari. A high-speed Internet connection is recommended.

Copyright

© 2025. This accredited continuing education activity is held as copyrighted © by American Academy of CME. Through this notice, permission is granted for its use for educational purposes only. These materials may not be used, in whole or in part, for any commercial purposes without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner(s).