Health Canada is currently reviewing a licensing application for an HIV self-testing kit. If approved, HIV self-testing will likely be available in the coming months. This test will be the first, and only, licensed HIV self-test available in Canada. While the exact timing of Health Canada’s decision is not known, it is anticipated a decision will be made in the coming weeks. HIV self-tests are currently used in several countries. Research shows that some people prefer self-testing because it is convenient and confidential. The enhanced privacy of self-testing makes it an effective way to reach first-time testers and those who

The AIDS committee of Durham Region (ACDR) and its partners invite you to Ontario’s newest and most exciting show about, for, and by the LGBTQ2+ community. Join co-hosts Kerolos Saleib (MSM Outreach Coordinator at ACDR and founder of Middle Eastern Nights), Vivianna Santibanez, Antoine Elhashem, Ticha Albina, and Alphonso King Jr. for their new monthly show, The Queer Bunch. Check out the premiere episode of The Queer Bunch as they explore the question: ‘What’s up with racism and the police?’ with special guests Ruth Cameron (Executive Director of The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area) and Toronto City Councillor Kristyn

The OAN is recruiting new Board Members and we’re accepting applications for three Director positions. We are seeking committed Board members to strategically lead the organization and help us meet our mandate. Serving on the Board is an extraordinary opportunity for someone who is passionate about Ontario’s HIV sector. In accordance with the provisions of our by-laws, a majority of the Board must be people who are living with HIV (PLWHIV) who are willing to self-identify as living with HIV and to disclose their status in this application.  Of the three new Directors, one must be from the Western region and be

We are incredibly excited to announce the new members (above) of our Advisory Committee of People Living with HIV/AIDS. The Advisory Committee will play an essential role in supporting the work of the OAN. Over the coming year, we will seek their guidance on the implementation of the OAN’s MEPA (meaningful engagement of people living with HIV/AIDS) frameworks, the renewal of the Ontario Accord, and the expansion of the Positive Leadership Development Institute Ontario program. This Committee also serves an important function in helping the OAN to identify pressing issues affecting Ontarians living with HIV or AIDS and informing our

Join this 90-minute SYNChronicity 2020 virtual session, “SYNCing the ‘End the HIV Epidemic’ and Social Justice: COVID-19, HIV, and the Black Community”, on July 29, 2020, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. The session will feature presentations and a dynamic panel discussion that highlights the inequitable distribution of health risk and disease among Black communities in the United States. In addition to accounting for 42% of all new HIV cases in the U.S. annually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Black people are 5.0 times more likely than white people to have COVID-19, and are 3.8 times

Join CATIE for their next webinar, “Community-driven harm reduction programs in Canada”, on July 28 at 12:30 PM. The dual public health emergencies of the overdose crisis and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have greatly affected the most marginalized in our communities. There is a heightened need for community-driven, low-barrier harm reduction programs embedded in communities to reach these individuals.  This webinar highlights novel, low-barrier approaches to harm reduction programs, how these programs are being delivered, and the lessons that have been learned. CATIE will discuss opportunities and challenges for harm reduction practice, including during the pandemic and into the future.

The Public Health Agency of Canada recently released the 2018 HIV surveillance report, which includes some troubling news about the extent of the epidemic in Canada.  Their report indicates that in 2018, a total of 2,561 HIV diagnoses were reported in Canada, an increase of 8.2% compared with 2017. The national diagnosis rate increased to 6.9 per 100,000 people in 2018, from 6.5 per 100,000 people in 2017. Overall, the diagnosis rate for males continued to be higher than that of females (9.8 versus 4.0 per 100,000 population, respectively); however, females experienced a larger increase in reported cases and diagnosis rate.

Every year, thousands of willing blood donors are turned away simply because of their identity. In Canada, men who have sex with men and trans women cannot donate blood unless they have been abstinent for three months. It’s a damaging policy, especially now. For years now, Canada has faced a critical shortage of donated blood, with our national blood inventory far below optimal levels. But rather than screening potential donors through a scientific lens and on a case-by-case basis, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Quebec continue to use outdated, prejudiced policies which target two-spirit, gay, bisexual and queer men, trans women, and

Casey House’s inpatient unit is open and accepting referrals here and their day health program is open for one-on-one appointments and has some groups functioning online. Clients must undergo COVID-19 screening prior to entering the building and will be required to wear a mask inside. Clients continue to be supported in the community with food deliveries and phone calls. Read more here. Casey House launched a groundbreaking day health program in 2017, addressing gaps in care of HIV/AIDS clients. The day health program expands our continuum of health services and provides one-stop care and treatment for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS by

A team of HIV clinicians, researchers, advocates and women living with HIV,  have worked with the Centre for Effective Practice (CEP) to develop two new clinical toolkits on Women-Centred HIV Care using an integrated knowledge translation approach. Team members include OAN members Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention and the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy. One toolkit has been developed for women living with HIV, themselves, as a self-management and health self-advocacy tool. The second toolkit is to support HIV clinicians and other service providers to deliver Women-Centred HIV Care. Both are now available online. Around 14,500 women live with HIV in