Exciting New Projects Funded by the PHSA’s Innovation Fund

On May 1, 2018, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) released a funding opportunity dedicated to exploring innovative, provincial solutions with demonstrable impact to HIV and hepatitis C in British Columbia. The total amount available through this funding was $100,000 and could be awarded to one or a combination of community-based organizations. Applicants were asked to outline the provincial scope of the project, why it was innovative, how it meaningfully engaged people with lived experience and collaboration with other organizations. Proposals were scored by Collective Impact Network (CIN) members and scores were reviewed by an evaluation committee comprised of a person with lived experience, PHSA and representatives from Pacific AIDS Network (PAN).

The PHSA is pleased to announce that three projects were successful for this funding and present a short-description of each project, in no particular order, written by each project’s lead agency:

Project 1 – HIV Stigma and Discrimination within Indigenous Communities

Community Based Research Centre (CBRC) is excited to be supporting Martin Morberg, a young Indigenous film-maker, who will use the funds to realize his goal of developing a short film exploring stigma, discrimination and other realities of a diverse group of Indigenous people living with HIV. With cultural knowledge interwoven through story-telling, the film aims to send culturally appropriate messaging of clear and up-to-date facts and information on HIV and Hepatitis C. We intend for this film to be screened across the province at workshops and cultural events to spark dialogue and engage participants in meaningful harm reduction education. CBRC – alongside YouthCO and Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society (VPWAS) – will provide support to Martin throughout all stages of the project’s development.

Our trust in Martin to carry out his vision is based not only on his strengths as a film-maker but also his capacity as a harm-reduction educator. All his work draws from his own lived experiences as a young Two Spirit Indigenous man living with HIV. Thus, CBRC is taking a supportive role in this Indigenous-focused project while staying true to the principle of MIPA (Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS) by honouring the space Martin is creating for folks living with HIV to lead and be the drivers of this project.

Sharing cultural knowledge around HIV and discrimination, as well as amplifying Indigenous voices on these issues will help to solidify a culture where communities are no longer silent about HIV stigma.”

Project 2 – On the Ground: Laying the Foundation for Hep C Peer Navigation in BC

“Peer navigation is tried and true, but hep C peer navigation in BC is still very new and undeveloped.  Pacific Hepatitis C Network (PHCN) is aware that a number of individuals in different communities do provide support informally.  In the is project we want to connect with them and others to enable initial shared learning with a view to possible future training and ongoing support for their work.

With our Innovation fund grant, the On the Ground project will connect people with lived experience of hepatitis C who do or would provide hep C peer support and navigation informally, in as many regions and locales in the province as possible.  The project will coordinate initial and ongoing teleconference calls as well as other means of communication between peers.  The project will also co-develop and implement a simple training and support assessment survey with network members, analyse and report findings to the whole group, the CIN, the funder and through social media.

Our intended project impacts include the initiation of a provincial Hep C Peer Support and Navigators network (and possibly a separate youth-specific network/group), with participants also identifying training and other needs they see in order to do their work well, informing next steps after the project.”

Project 3 – HIV and Hep C Prevention & Care for Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit Youth

“The goal of our Innovation Fund project is to improve services for trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit youth most impacted by HIV and Hep C. Given persistent health and social inequities, trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit youth are often pushed into scenarios with elevated potential of coming into contact with HIV and Hep C, including sharing injection equipment for hormones, silicone, or steroids. Yet, trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit youth are often unintentionally pushed out of the very spaces that are intended to provide Hep C and HIV specific supports.

Through this Innovation Fund grant, YouthCO will recruit a project team of trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit youth from across the province, and work closely with our partners at the Pacific Hep C Network. Together, we will develop and deliver training for clinicians and service providers focused on providing gender-affirming Hep C and/or HIV care while also creating a tailored harm reduction resource for trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit youth. We will be hosting three in-person think tanks with youth from across the province to develop content for these initiatives, build skills for youth to deliver the training, and to lead conversations advocating for Hep C and HIV-related care for trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit youth.”

 


 

We look forward to sharing project updates on the PAN website as these exciting, innovative ventures progress towards completion by March 31, 2019.