2016 Fall Conference, PLHIV Forum and AGM

October 25 & 26, 2016, Richmond BC

Thank you to all that attended and contributed to the shared knowledge that has resulted in planning and action.

 

Update 1: Since the closing of this Conference, PAN has been working hard to develop a report on an important and pressing issue that was extensively discussed at the Conference, namely, Canada’s national drug policy and its effects on public health in the context of BC’s ongoing crisis of overdose and overdose deaths.

This Drug Policy Report summarizes the information and perspectives shared via the various conference presentations, roundtable discussions, topic tables and Q&A sessions that took place over the course of the two days of the Conference. Some of the latest changes to drug policy and programming are also noted. Based on the Conference deliberations and taking into account the latest developments, the report highlights potential policy changes and advocacy items for PAN and allied partners to consider as we look to the future.

We look forward to hearing your feedback on this report, and more importantly to working collaboratively with member organizations and allied stakeholders and supporting the provincial response to the overdose crisis.

 

Update 2: At PAN’s 2016 Executive Directors Summit, one of the two key topics that participants identified as pressing for the session was the concerns regarding the process, outcomes and next steps of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF). Earlier in the fall, PHAC announced the decisions of the funding competition’s Letter of Intent (LOI) process, and those decisions had significant implications for HIV and HCV service delivery in BC.  During the Summit, PAN member ED’s and other leadership discussed key messages (initially developed by the PAN Board of Directors at their face-to-face board meeting the day before) for a letter from PAN to the Minister of Health Dr. Philpott. Following the ED Summit, a letter containing these key messages was sent to Dr. Philpott on November 2nd, and PAN received a response letter from the Minister on December 13th. The Health Minister’s response invited a meeting between PAN and the President of PHAC, Dr. Mithani; as well as the Chief Public Health Officer.

A face-to-face meeting between PAN senior staff, Dr. Mithani and two key PHAC regional representatives was subsequently arranged and took place in Vancouver on January 17th, 2017. During this meeting, the concerns held by PAN and its members about the CAF funding process, decisions, and implications on service delivery were discussed. Dr. Mithani acknowledged those concerns.  The President also sought feedback on PAN’s recommendations as to how to potentially improve: funding competitions and communications regarding PHAC funding priorities in the future.  A key topic of conversation was how to effectively evaluate PHAC funded community-based programs and thereby ensure “maximum impact”.  Together, PAN and PHAC committed to working together to maximize the collective impact of community support and services addressing HIV, HCV and other STBBIs.

Moving forward, PAN will continue to follow up with PHAC staff  at regional and national levels, as required, to best support various member organizations through the transitional and “top up” funding processes.  Along with our member organizations, and allied stakeholders and partners throughout BC and Canada, PAN will also continue to call more funding for the sector (including advocating for dedicated funds for HCV and other STBBIs). If you have any questions regarding PHAC’s HIV/HCV CAF or PAN’s work on this critical issue, please contact PAN’s Executive Director, J. Evin Jones via email [email protected].

 

This year’s PAN Fall Conference featured:

  • Keynote by: Richard Elliott, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network; Donald McPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition; Katie Lacroix, Society of Living Intravenous Drug Users (SOLID); Darcie Bennett, Pivot Legal Society; Jordan Westfall, Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs
  • Special plenary session on supervised consumption sites & harm reduction
  • Updates on: STOP, From Hope to Health, and Healthy Pathways Forward 
  • Update on the Population Size Estimates Project being led by the BCCDC
  • Presentation from Lianping (Mint) Ti, PhD., BC Centre for Excellence on “Treatment as Prevention” for HCV 
  • Special HCV plenary session
  • Forum for People Living with HIV/AIDS aka PHA Forum
  • Executive Director Networking Session
  • Annual General Meeting

 

Please click on the links below for important documents related to the conference:

 

Annual Report

Conference Draft Schedule (subjected to change)

Drug Policy, Harm Reduction & Supervised Consumption Sites Session

YouthCO Presentation

PAN 101 Session

Forum for persons living with HIV/AIDS (aka PHA Forum)

Executive Director Networking Session

Members’ and Stakeholders’ Survey

PAN Board & Senior Management Presentations

Annual General Meeting

STOP HIV/AIDS & From Hope to Health Updates

Population Size Estimates (PSE)

CATIE Presentation

HCV “Treatment as Prevention” Presentation

“Refresh” of Healthy Pathways Forward Presentation

Evaluation Report from the 2016 Fall Conference

PAN 2016 Fall Conference Evaluation

 

2016 PAN Ignite Webinars

We have scheduled two teleconference Q & A sessions with all the presenters of the webinars and so we invite you to join us on one of the two dates:

October 19th at 10:00am (Pacific time)
November 23rd at 10:00am (Pacific time)

Dial in information for the calls is:
Toll-free: 1-888-884-4539
Access code: 528 11 44 #

 

PLDI Peer Evaluators Impact Evaluation Project

 

Positive Living, Positive Homes

 

The BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index

 

Results from the 2015 PAN Members’ & Stakeholders’ Survey

 

Please contact the event registrat at [email protected] for any questions related to the PAN 2016 Fall Conference, PHA Forum and AGM.

 

For information on the PAN 2015 and past conferences, please see the Conference Resources page of our website.