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⚕️🩸💵 Government Of Canada Supports Community Initiatives Addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and Other Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections

Thursday, 21 December 2023 04:11.PM

The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced more than $1.1 million in funding through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) to support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) in Whitehorse.

STBBI are preventable, treatable and in many cases curable. However, these infections remain a significant public health concern in Canada, especially among Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, Black and racialized communities as well as other equity-deserving communities. Systemic stigma, exclusion and discrimination create barriers that prevent people from getting tested or accessing the care they need when they need it. That is why the Government of Canada has put a priority on supporting community-based projects that incorporate evidence-based strategies that address these barriers.

Initially announced in August 2022 at the 24th annual International AIDS Conference, the HIV self-test initiative is bolstered by an additional $8.6 million. This funding provides support to 50 community-based organizations through March 2024 to offset costs associated with efforts to distribute the HIV self-test kits to their key populations. Self-test kits offer a safe, reliable, anonymous and confidential way for people to determine their infection status. They are an important tool for combatting the stigma and discrimination that present barriers to care.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with community-based organizations, Indigenous partners, provinces and territories, researchers, public health, and the health sector to prevent new infections and support the global goal of ending HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI as public health concerns.

"Community-based organizations play a fundamental role to improve the health of people in Canada who have HIV and promote culturally safe community-led models to increase testing in remote, rural and northern settings. These organizations understand the needs of the communities they serve. This Government of Canada funding will support the critical work of community based organizations and help people living with HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI, as well as those at risk of infection."
-The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health

Quick Facts

• In 2022, the Government of Canada invested $106.4 million to help address STBBI across Canada.

• This funding includes $46.2 million under the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada, and $8.9 million under the Hepatitis C Prevention, Support and Research Program.

• Through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) invests $26.4 million annually to support time-limited projects (up to 5 years) across Canada to address HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis).

• Through the Harm Reduction Fund, PHAC invests $7 million annually to support time-limited projects (3 to 5 years) across Canada that will help reduce HIV and hepatitis C among people who share injection and inhalation drug-use equipment.

• On August 1, 2022, the Government of Canada announced $17.9 million in time-limited funding (2022-2023) to improve access to testing, including $8 million to community-based organizations to support their capacity to distribute and promote HIV self-tests and link people to care. An additional $9.9 million was provided to the National Microbiology Laboratory to expand community-based testing in northern, remote, and isolated communities including $1.2 million to the BC Centre for Disease Control and BC's First Nations Health Authority to build on previous community-based testing initiatives, including testing for STBBI.

• Efforts to address STBBI in Canada are guided by the Pan-Canadian Framework for Action on STBBI and the Government of Canada Five Year Action Plan on STBBI (Action Plan).

SOURCE: Public Health Agency of Canada

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