Initiated by Voices of Positive Women, the Women’s HIV Empowerment Through Life Tools for Health Project or wHEALTH, is a community-based research project (CBR) studying how a unique peer case management approach affects the health and quality of life of women living with HIV in Hamilton and Toronto.
The case management model used in this project is different from other models of case management in two important ways. First, while other models of case management begin by focusing on an individual’s weaknesses and problems, this case management approach tries to identify and use an individual’s strengths and resources to address the challenges in their lives. Second, the case management model in this project will be carried out by a diverse team of trained peer case managers – women who not only understand the challenges that other women living HIV face, but who also have experience in case management and extensive training in this strength-based case management approach.
In this study, we’ll be comparing the results of this approach to the results of the general health programs most people already receive when they visit community-based AIDS service organizations, and looking at whether this approach is better at improving women’s mental and physical health, social support and general quality of life.
This project is guided by a multi-stakeholder research team of community leaders, academic researchers and frontline service providers who value the CBR principles of equitable collaboration, capacity building and policy relevance. The knowledge generated by this study will help with the development of more meaningful and effective services for women living with HIV in Ontario, and dissemination plans will share the model of this intervention so that it can be adapted for use elsewhere across Canada.
This project is supported by funding from The Ontario HIV Treatment Network and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
For more details about this project, please contact the Research Coordinator, Allyson Ion, or the co-principal investigators Adriana Carvalhal and Louise Binder at iona@mcmaster.ca or 1-866-679-0440.