Table 3.

Illustrative participants’ quotations

Themes and sub-themes	Quotes (characteristics of the participant)
Unique themes from WLH
Living and functioning	#1: Living. Living right here in my home knowing it’s so peaceful and quiet (65-year old African American WLH). #2: My vision of a good quality of life is living life to the fullest and taking one day at a time. Do not think about so far in the future because sometimes that stresses you out. Just know how to balance. I have your little savings bag but enjoy life and take one day at a time. Worry about the day you’re in, not the day that's coming. (45-year old African American WLH). #3: Functional wellness to me is being functional and taking care of yourself (47-year old African American WLH). #4: No limitation in daily activity: I can keep on doing what I want to do (65-year old White WLH). #5: You can live, and you will live, you just have to believe in yourself (41-year old African American WLH).
Resilience	#1: You have to be happy. There is no reason to be down. Just keep a smile on my face (25-year old African American WLH). #2: Rolling with the punches, going through the struggles, learning the lessons and the experiences along the way, and being um…being observant of other people when they go through stuff (64-year old Hispanic WLH). #3: I know now it’s not a death sentence. I know you live forever if you take care of yourself, if you stay in care and do the right things. It is not a death sentence no more and you can live forever (64-year old Hispanic WLH).
Unique themes from HCPs
Holistic treatment based on womanhood	#1: I have not treated a lot of women with HIV but the one’s that I have encounter we have to deal with a lot of issues. With women, sometimes a lot of things are forgotten once they are positive like their gynecological care. Most of the time women that are diagnosed with HIV are from a single partner home they are the sole provider. We have to look at why they miss their appointment because sometimes it’s that they don’t have a babysitter or the have to work 40-60 hours to make ends meet (Female nurse practitioner). #2: We can’t forget the struggles they face other than their HIV status. HIV is not something that can be neglected. I believe it’s going to take outside resources to assist. If providers could take an extra step to connect with their patient letting them know they care could help. So, they won’t just see them as their providers but also as a person. I think it is our place to let them know that this is a safe place and we are here to assist them with their problem. The best thing is to create a bond with your patients (Female nurse practitioner). #3: It is “a whole-body thing” (Female nurse practitioner). #4: Looking at the person as a whole (male social worker). #5: Patients’ spiritual wellness is important because it [living with HIV] can be overwhelming (Female social worker). #6: I think reassurance. Reinforce that she’s a woman first. We forget about women. They are another area that we do need to focus on because they do have issues. We don’t focus too much on women (Female community health outreach worker)
Common themes from both WLH and HCPs
Prevention	#1: A sense of prevention by identifying risk factors before they become a problem. Doing things to keep yourself well” (Female Nurse Practitioner). #2: A whole new lifestyle” (48-year old White WLH). #3: Staying active and living a healthy lifestyle. I was going to the gym, I was eating healthy, I wasn’t letting things stress me out (53-year old African American WLH).
Self-care	#1: Being the best me that I can be because there’re people out there that need me (41-year old African American WLH) #2: Motivation to take care of my household, keep a stable place to stay, a running car, and live life. Help my family members if I can, and that’s about it. (39-year old African American WLH). #3: The key issue is being able to care for themselves. If they have children, [then], it is to take care of their family, to maintain their pride (Female nurse practitioner). #4: The first thing is accepting not just the HIV, but whatever other issues they have. If you don’t accept your status, you can't move on to the next step, which is the access to care (Female infectious disease physician).
Social engagement	#1: I was able to get married, have a great granddaughter… I just got to see the pictures. Just being here, just staying alive (53-year old African American WLH). #2: I think it is great if I could find a job, and my thing is I can find a job, but I just want to a job that is actually helping people with HIV (64-year old Hispanic WLH). #3: Being able to maintain and be a productive woman living with HIV” (48-year old White WLH). #4: Internally still having the feeling of being useful and not some charity case (Female community outreach worker).