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After being diagnosed with HIV infection, a patient should be linked quickly to effective care. Successful viral suppression may depend on a patient's location, income, and access to reliable transportation. Researchers used zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) within metropolitan Atlanta to assess how such neighborhood-level variables correlate with linkage to care within 3 months after HIV diagnosis and with viral suppression (<200 copies/mL).
From 2006 to 2010, within 100 ZCTAs, 8413 new HIV diagnoses were made (median, 60 per ZCTA). Among the ZCTAs, a median 51% of newly diagnosed patients were linked to care within 3 months, and a median 44% of patients achieved viral suppression by the end of 2010. The median number of bus stops within a …