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\nHighlightsOver one million people in the United States (U.S.) are living with HIV. People living with HIV in the rural South experience delayed HIV treatment and increased mortality risks. Access challenges and HIV stigma exacerbate care disengagement for rural people living with HIV (PLH). This study examines the applicability and feasibility of telehealth to provide HIV care for older adults in the rural U.S. South. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 key informants with expertise in HIV care and community engagement in high rural HIV burden states. Results indicate that telehealth challenges exist for older rural PLH to receive HIV care, such as lack of internet access and low technology literacy. Phone calls can be a simple and effective telehealth option for older rural PLH, as they align with their care preferences, mitigate care barriers, and show promise increasing care engagement. When warranted, complex telehealth options for older rural PLH require tailored approaches, such as portable medical instruments allowing real-time data sharing during home visits or tablet distribution from the clinic. Findings suggest that policy makers and providers support the reimbursement and use of audio-only telehealth services, expand broadband infrastructure and affordability in rural areas, and implement tailored telehealth interventions. HIV service providers feel audio-only telehealth is effective and feasible for rural older adults living with HIV.Adequate broadband access is essential to implement complex telehealth modalities, such as video visits, for rural older adults living with HIV.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should continue to reimburse audio-only telehealth services beyond the end of 2024.The United States Federal government should invest further in broadband infrastructure and affordability in rural areas to support telehealth services.HIV service providers feel audio-only telehealth is effective and feasible for rural older adults living with HIV.Adequate broadband access is essential to implement complex telehealth modalities, such as video visits, for rural older adults living with HIV.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should continue to reimburse audio-only telehealth services beyond the end of 2024.The United States Federal government should invest further in broadband infrastructure and affordability in rural areas to support telehealth services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) created life‐disrupting stressors that disproportionately burden disadvantaged communities with devastating impacts that extend far beyond the burden of the disease itself, including joblessness, housing and food insecurity, educational system upheavals, isolation due to disrupted relationships, worsened mental health and substance use and violence. Socially interconnected community members are resources whose efforts can be mobilised to improve COVID‐19 coping within their social networks. This research examined the feasibility, acceptability, and reach of a social media‐based peer influencer intervention for COVID‐19 coping. Over a 9‐month period in 2020, the project enrolled 1253 social influencers in Milwaukee—primarily ethnic and racial minorities—who regularly received and passed along messages to members of their social networks that provided advice about COVID‐19 pandemic coping, economic survival, health protection, mental health, family needs, social justice and other impacts. Messages were shared by influencers with others over social media and also text messages, phone calls and conversations. Facebook social media tracking metrics objectively measured the community reach of social influencers' messages. Quantitative surveys and qualitative follow‐up interviews with a subset of influencers also measured the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Social media monitoring metrics showed that, by the end of the project, influencers' messages reached an average of 7978 unique individuals per week and had an average of 13,894 total views per week, with more than 140,000 total cumulative organic impressions. More than half of social influencers indicated that—beyond Facebook message sharing—they shared COVID‐19 prevention, care, and coping messages with social network members in conversations, phone calls and text messages. Social influencers reported that they valued having the opportunity to help community members to cope with pandemic stressors by conveying practical COVID‐19 coping advice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]