WVU School of Nursing professor and nurse practitioner working towards HIV prevention in West Virginia

Elizabeth Minchau, a clinical assistant professor and nurse practitioner in the West Virginia University School of Nursing, was recently featured in the West Virginia Nurse publication, helping to spread awareness on HIV education and prevention efforts.

In recent years, West Virginia has experienced a rapid increase in HIV diagnoses among persons who inject drugs.

“We need to do something to decrease these numbers,” said Minchau, DNP, APRN-BC, MSN, RN. “The goal of this publication is to educate nurses in West Virginia about options that they may not be aware of that can help to prevent HIV among persons who inject drugs.”

Minchau’s publication focused on pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation therapy for those at high risk for HIV. If taken as prescribed, the pre-exposure prophylaxis oral medication significantly lowers the risk of becoming infected with HIV by decreasing viral load and therefore reducing the likelihood of transmission.

Although the medication is known to prevent the transmission of HIV among persons who inject drugs, Minchau explained that those who are at risk for HIV due to drug use, are still not receiving it.

“I think many people simply don't know that pre-exposure prophylaxis therapy exists,” Minchau said. “Step one is acknowledging the benefits of this therapy. Step two is understanding that this pill is appropriate for the population of persons who inject drugs and not just those at risk for HIV through sexual contact. Step three is not being afraid to prescribe it."

Minchau reports that healthcare providers must continue to work on destigmatizing HIV and substance use disorders. “The stigma surrounding HIV can be mitigated by education and through support and empowerment of this population. In the case of injection drug use, we are not only fighting the stigma of HIV, but we are also fighting the stigma of addiction and substance abuse. Until our way of thinking changes from ‘they should not have done that’ to ‘how can I help them overcome it,’ we will not correct our communities' problems. We have to focus on putting the infrastructure in place to fix the problems that lead to injection drug use in the first place."

Students and community members can help support patients with HIV and substance use disorders through awareness, education and volunteering with organizations like the MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center.

“Looking for these initiatives and volunteering is a great way to get involved. Interacting with people who have substance use disorders personalizes the problem,” Minchau said. “When you see family members seeking out Naloxone to help save their child’s life because they know a drug overdose is inevitable, it really puts it in perspective. Contacting your public health department to find out what they’re doing for persons with HIV and the population of persons who inject drugs in your community, is another way to get involved and help.

To prevent disease progression in West Virginia, Minchau calls on her colleagues to act and offer proven risk reduction strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis therapy, to vulnerable patients.

“Nurses can make a difference in the fight against drug use and HIV infection,” Minchau said. “Education is always a part of the answer, but we need to take it beyond that, nurses need to ask the hard questions. We may be the only person that somebody feels they can safely give an honest answer to.”