{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T03:20:12Z","timestamp":1760239212703,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,8]],"date-time":"2020-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1602115200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000060","name":"National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["T32AI100852-08"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["T32AI100852-08"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000060","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Immediate antiretroviral therapy (iART), defined as same-day initiation of ART or as soon as possible after diagnosis, has recently been recommended by global and national clinical care guidelines for patients newly diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Based on San Francisco\u2019s Rapid ART Program Initiative for HIV Diagnoses (RAPID) model, most iART programs in the US condense ART initiation, insurance acquisition, housing assessment, and mental health and substance use evaluation into an initial visit. However, the RAPID model does not explicitly address structural racism and homophobia, HIV-related stigma, medical mistrust, and other important factors at the time of diagnosis experienced more poignantly by African American, Latinx, men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender patient populations. These factors negatively impact initial and subsequent HIV care engagement and exacerbate significant health disparities along the HIV care continuum. While iART has improved time to viral suppression and linkage to care rates, its association with retention in care and viral suppression, particularly in vulnerable populations, remains controversial. Considering that in the US the HIV epidemic is sharply defined by healthcare disparities, we argue that incorporating an explicit health equity approach into the RAPID model is vital to ensure those who disproportionately bear the burden of HIV are not left behind.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17197345","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,8]],"date-time":"2020-10-08T08:52:41Z","timestamp":1602147161000},"page":"7345","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Immediate Antiretroviral Therapy: The Need for a Health Equity Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8955-4303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ofole","family":"Mgbako","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"},{"name":"HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, NY State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Magdalena","family":"E. Sobieszczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Susan","family":"Olender","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Gordon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jason","family":"Zucker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Susan","family":"Tross","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, NY State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Delivette","family":"Castor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"H. Remien","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, NY State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rosen, S., and Fox, M.P. (2011). Retention in HIV care between testing and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. PLoS Med., 8.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1001056"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"INSIGHT START Study Group, Lundgren, J.D., Babiker, A.G., Gordin, F., Emery, S., Grund, B., Sharma, S., Avihingsanon, A., Cooper, D.A., and F\u00e4tkenheuer, G. (2015). Initiation of antiretroviral therapy in early asymptomatic HIV infection. N. Engl. J. 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