Category: Advocacy, Policy, Public Health

HIV Self-Testing Clinical Trial

Dr. Sean Rourke works with the Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He is hoping his work on HIV self-testing kits will soon make them available to all Canadians. Video courtesy YouTube   Learn more HIV self-tests haven’t been approved in Canada but researchers want to change that

Community Forum with Timothy Ray Brown

Join Positive Living BC for their next Community Forum  From Positive Living BC’s newsletter:  Presenter: Timothy Ray Brown “My Continued Activism Toward an HIV Cure, with an introduction by Zabrina Brumme, PhD BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS “Timothy Brown: The science behind the world’s first HIV cure.” Date: Thursday, September 5th, 2019 Time:  6:30… Read more »

Update: Prison Needle Exchange Programs

Last month we endorsed the statement calling on the federal government to fix fundamental flaws in the Correctional Service of Canada’s “Prison Needle Exchange Program.” We’ve received a thank you from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Exchange, along with some additional information.   Saturday, August 10, was Prisoners’ Justice Day, and marked the release of this… Read more »

Updated August 26, 2019 PAN has been part of a national conversation with multiple partners including COCQ-SIDA, the Ontario AIDS Network, the Alberta Community Council on HIV in Alberta, and others, regarding Canada’s role in resourcing for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. We were pleased to see the announcement that Canada… Read more »

STBBI Needs Assessment with Healthcare Providers

Earlier this summer the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) conducted a needs assessment survey on STBBI guidelines with P/T programs. PHAC is conducting a second needs assessment on STBBI guidelines with healthcare providers (e.g., nurses, nurse practitioners, or physicians) who provide direct STBBI care. The objective of this survey is to ensure that STBBI… Read more »

Webinar – PHSA Hot Topics

PAN will be hosting Jason Wong, Lauren Allan, and Jill Pascoe from the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) to talk about the topics chosen by our members. We asked people to fill out a short survey to learn about their interests, and as a result, this session will provide update on current epidemiology in BC… Read more »

HIV Criminalization – Update

A quick summer update on the HIV criminalization front… BC’s Prosecutorial Guidelines As previously reported, on April 16th, 2019, BC Prosecution Services issued revised prosecutorial guidelines (the revised “Sex 2” policy). Encouragingly, the guidelines state clearly that there will be no prosecution for suppressed viral load (i.e., under 200 copies/ml) for at least 4 months;… Read more »

Substance Use News July 2019

  Substance Use News provides a snapshot of news and resources for those working to support folks who use substances. We share pieces on the social, medical and political responses to the opioid crisis, from advocacy to welcome change. See our Drug Use and Overdose Response page for resources on overdose services, team resilience, governmental reports,… Read more »

Vancouver Coastal Health’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Patricial Daly, has released a new report: Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis in Vancouver Coastal Health. It looks at harm reduction, improving treatment, and strategies for supportive environments. It begins,  “Substance use disorder is a chronic, relapsing condition, requiring a comprehensive system of care that identifies… Read more »

Along with a number of community advocates, this spring PAN submitted letter to the Canadian Medical Association regarding the Draft Canadian Medical Association’s Policy on HIV. We are aware that PAN member organizations and public health representatives did the same. We are watching for updates and will share as we learn more.   Cécile Bensimon,… Read more »

Show Your Support for Prison Needle and Syringe Programs

PAN has endorsed the statement below, and we share this so others may consider doing so as well. From the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network: Three years ago, PAN signed a petition urging governments in Canada to immediately implement needle and syringe programs in prison. The petition acknowledged the overwhelming evidence supporting prison-based needle and syringe… Read more »

With the federal election approaching, a series of LGBTQ2 organizations and national networks have developed a pre-election statement for all the political parties. The link to the the statement provides more information, including the entire statement, the context, who developed it and why. Statement (excerpt): We call on all political parties running in the Canadian Federal… Read more »