*+-Speaking at the Northern Exposures conference on Manitoulin Island, in October, 2015, Denise Jaworsky talks about barriers to health care in rural areas; Mark Forsythe talks about travel & stigma as barriers to testing and education; Camille Lavoie talks about the stigma around HIV tests, the need to give people options, and the need to […]
Recognizing barriers Read More »
*+-Speaking at the Northern Exposures conference on Manitoulin Island, in October, 2015, Denise Jaworsky talks about need to do research locally; Tracey Prentice and Doris Peltier discuss how important it is for research to fit the community, putting community needs first and the damage that can be done by “helicopter research”; Ray Landry talks about
Make the research fit the community Read More »
*+-Speaking at the Northern Exposures conference on Manitoulin Island, in October, 2015, scholars Harlan Pruden and Margaret Robinson discuss syndemics, culture as treatment and prevention, the impact of culture on health and need to invest in strong communities. Transcript Harlan Pruden My name is Harlan Pruden. I am First Nations Cree. Syndemics is that perfect
Culture is prevention Read More »
*+-Doug Sider of Public Health Ontario presented on the epidemiology of hepatitis C (HCV) in Northern Ontario, drawing on data from 2014. He noted that the North is distinct when it comes to HCV, since HCV rates are going up in the North, while they are falling in the rest of the province. Hospitalization rates
Protecting Our Communities: HCV Prevention, Engagement, and Care Read More »
*+-Harm reduction plays a major role in HIV and HCV prevention and outreach. Nancy Corbin of Elevate NWO stressed that harm reduction outreach workers—who are often peers—can engage with people in the streets, at shelters, and at drop-ins. These workers perform quick assessments to connect an individual who uses drugs to the support and services
Harm Reduction: Northern Style Read More »
*+-A range of HIV prevention, engagement, and care approaches were presented in Dryden and Manitoulin, ranging from biomedical prevention, to improved testing, to innovative telehealth interventions. Mark Gilbert of the OHTN and Gordon Arbess of St. Michael’s Hospital spoke about new biomedical preventions, specifically PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and TasP (treatment as prevention). PrEP consists of
Protecting Our Communities: HIV Prevention, Engagement, and Care Read More »
*+-Assisting homeless individuals who are dependent on alcohol Tina Ranta of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Sudbury-Manitoulin) described the launch of the first managed alcohol program (or “MAP”) in Sudbury. The Sudbury Harm Reduction Home began with a brain-storming session hosted by the Northeast Local Health Integration Network, where service agencies and people with lived
Reaching Out: Innovative Ideas for Rural & Remote Care Read More »
*+-Mark Gilbert of the OHTN presented a snapshot of key trends for HIV in Ontario with a focus on the North, drawing on data collected by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study (OCS) and Public Health Ontario. It’s important to note that these data sources are imperfect: 25% of new diagnoses do not include
How Far Have We Come: How Far Still to Go? HIV Snapshot 2015 Read More »
*+-The OHTN’s Mark Gilbert presented an overview of “syndemics.” The term syndemic recognizes that social and medical conditions interact, and that multiple conditions can be epidemics, particularly in marginalized communities. Together, these overlapping epidemics create a “perfect storm” that increases the likelihood of someone contracting HIV, hepatitis C, or other STBBIs. The shift to a
Understanding Intertwining Epidemics (Syndemics) Read More »
