On August 10, 2018, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) released two innovation funding opportunities dedicated to women and Indigenous women, living with or at risk of HIV and/or HCV in British Columbia. The total amount available for each opportunity was $75,000 per fiscal year, for 2018/19 and 2019/20, for a total of $150,000 each.
PHSA is pleased to announce the two projects that were successful for this funding and present a short-description of each project. If you have any questions about this funding opportunity, please contact Lauren Allan ([email protected]).
Auntie/Elder Support Project – Central Interior Native Health Society
Central Interior Native Health Society (CINHS) provides Primary Health Care and Speciality/Specialist Care with the compliment of qualified professionals that directly address the social determinants of health. Our service delivery at CINHS is founded on an Equity Oriented Health Care Model where we strive to eliminate barriers that can impede access to health services.
The goal of this project is to increase accessibility to health and social services in the community with the aim of improving the quality of life for Indigenous women who have, or are at risk of HIV and/or HCV and their children and families. To do this CINHS will partner with other Prince George and Northern BC community, provincial and health authority agencies who work with Indigenous woman who live with or are at risk of HIV and/or HCV.
An “Auntie”/ Elder will take on the role of mentor, advocate, support & outreach. This individual will work with Indigenous women to ensure their access to high quality, culturally safe, trauma and violence informed health care. An important part of this will be assisting women to navigate services to address social determinants of health issues and to provide advocacy when barriers are encountered.
Women’s Wellness and Leadership Project – Friends for Life Society
Vancouver Friends for Life (FFL) Society is pleased to present their innovative idea to increase wellness and leadership opportunities for women with lived experience of HIV and/or HCV throughout British Columbia. With this funding, FFL will work with women to develop their own health and skills-building activities through the establishment of a scholarship fund. While the full criteria for the fund has not been determined, FFL aims to achieve the following goals:
- To empower women with lived experience of HIV and/or HCV, and those at risk, throughout BC in their chosen path to wellness and self-improvement;
- To strengthen the provincial network of women with lived experience through the promotion and creation of opportunities of collective face-to-face networking, knowledge sharing, leadership training, and online communication; and,
- To lead an innovative project model that gives women with lived experience greater opportunities for personal and collective change.
Most central to the projects’ goals are to ensure this is truly a provincial initiative. We will be prioritizing women living in areas outside of Metro Vancouver wishing to embark on their own wellness journeys. There will be an equal amount of scholarships/wellness funding available to women in each regional health authority, including FNHA. Furthermore, the project ends with a capstone conference centrally located in Kamloops that will be open to successful applicants and community partners. With the funding we will hire a peer to work part-time on the project and to establish a committee to set the scholarship criteria and assess applications.