Two Texas Special Projects of National Significance (Special Health Resources for Texas and UT Health Science Center) have collaborated to provide insight into the differences and similarities of women living in rural and urban settings across the State of Texas, utilizing HIV/AIDS survival stories to identify ‘themes of survival.' This interactive workshop will report on how these survival stories provide information to enhance the effectiveness of ongoing programs that are designed to engage and retain women of color in quality care. The survival stories and their themes are utilized by staff to empower women. The presentation will further explain methods for collecting these survival stories and explain how they empower individuals, thus bringing about behavior change. In addition, benefits of tools used to provide valuable data towards program enhancement and development of best practices will also be included.
Learning Objectives: