Abstract
HIV and AIDS as a community issue have not been dealt with extensively in the literature. One model that offers promise for development of effective prevention and intervention efforts is the Community Readiness Model, a nine-stage model that assesses the level of readiness of a community to develop and implement prevention programming. Data are presented from a Community Readiness assessment of 30 rural U.S. communities: 10 African American, 10 Mexican American, and 10 White non-Mexican American. Four to five key respondent interviews were conducted via telephone in each community using the Community Readiness Assessment protocol during 1999–2000. Limitations of the study and implications for prevention are discussed. This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.