Experts Identify Problems, Examine Solutions (Part 3)
Health Disparities
Another area that needs improvement is access to treatment of co-occurring conditions
for members of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, the conference's last plenary session
emphasized.
For example, HIV/AIDS is a condition that often goes hand in hand with substance
abuse. The epidemic disproportionately affects African Americans, said NIDA Director
Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
She noted that African Americans represent half of all HIV/AIDS cases and that African
American women represent about 70 to 75 percent of all infected women. Injection drug
use accounts for 30 percent of cases, she explained. Drugs and alcohol play a role
in heterosexual transmission of the disease because many individuals are under the
influence when transmission occurs.
Pervasive ethnic and racial disparities in substance abuse and mental health treatment
are the norm, reported Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., a professor at Harvard Medical School
and Director of the Cambridge Health Alliance's Center for Multicultural Mental Health
Research. The underlying reasons for these disparities in services are not fully understood,
Dr. Alegria said. She emphasized that understanding these factors is critical because
of the rapid growth of ethnic and racial minority populations across the Nation.
For more information on co-occurring disorders, visit SAMHSA's Web site at www.samhsa.gov.
More details about the conference are available at www.cccconference.com.
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