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1 Brad Sears, et al., HIV Discrimination in Dental Care: Results of a Discrimination Testing Study in Los Angeles County 1 (2011)

handle is hein.lgbtqwi/hddcr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: HIV Discrimination in Dental Care: Results of a Discrimination Testing Study In Los Angeles County Williams aNSTITUTE Brad Sears, Christian Cooper, Fariba S. Younai, and Tom Donohoe Executive Summary This study used trained testers to measure the level of HIV discrimination by dentists in Los Angeles County. In total, 612 dentists' offices were contacted in 2007 and 2008. We find that levels of HIV discrimination are lower in dental care than other health care services in Los Angeles County. However, levels of discrimination are twice as high for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who had Denti-Cal, and three times higher for those living in the San Gabriel Valley and South SPAs. Discrimination was also higher among older dentists and dentists who did not go to dental school in the United States. The findings suggest the need for more targeted education efforts to ensure equal access to dental services for all PLWHA. Figure 1. December 2011 HIV Discrimination by Health Care Providers in Los Angeles County, Blanket Refusal to Treat Any Person Living with HIV/AIDS Dentists Plastic Surgeons Skilled Nursing Facilities Obstetricians Key findings include: Five percent of dental offices contacted (29) had an unlawful blanket policy of refusing dental services to any PLWHA. An additional 5% of dental providers (32) indicated they would treat PLWHA differently than other patients in ways that could potentially violate state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Factors influencing the rates of discrimination were the caller's type of dental insurance, the geographic location of the dental practices, and when and where the dentist graduated from dental school. Ninety percent of all dental offices contacted in Los Angeles County (551) responded that they would treat PLWHA. Specific findings include: * Rates of discrimination were twice as high when testers indicated that they had Denti-Cal (a public benefit for poorer patients that was largely discontinued by California in 2009) as opposed to private dental insurance.