Jan 25, 2023 3:00 pm ET
Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (Oahas) 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations CATIE

Supporting pathways to HIV prevention and wellness

This is the third webinar of a four-part series on HIV prevention in Ontario co-organized by Oahas and CATIE, in partnership with 2-Spirited Peoples of the 1st Nations.

Advances in HIV prevention have leapt forward in an unbelievable way. Western biomedical tools like pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP), as well as knowledge that a person with HIV who is on successful treatment cannot pass HIV to their sexual partners, mean that we have the power to significantly change the pace of the epidemic and outcomes for community. To reach Indigenous communities, Indigenous leaders across Ontario are leading the way in weaving knowledge of these biomedical tools with Indigenous ways of knowing to make a significant impact on HIV transmission and HIV stigma.

However, we need more than knowledge. To actually access these tools – PrEP, PEP and HIV treatment (for a person’s health and for prevention benefits) – a person needs to navigate the health system and access clinical services. Legitimate distrust in healthcare systems among community members, and ongoing colonization, systemic racism and intersections of various stigmas, can make access to and uptake of these tools a significant challenge. 

This webinar will explore existing pathways in Ontario to HIV prevention, efforts to create new pathways relevant to Indigenous communities, and the role that clinical and non-clinical service providers have in ensuring Indigenous people can navigate these systems and access the prevention tools they need. This webinar will also include a brief overview of Western biomedical highly effective HIV prevention strategies (i.e., PrEP, PEP and U=U). 

Learning objectives:

  • Describe the system-level availability of HIV prevention tools (i.e., PrEP, PEP and HIV treatment) in Ontario 
  • Discuss existing Ontario pathways to HIV prevention tools
  • Identify the gaps in these pathways for some Indigenous communities and individuals
  • Explore systemic barriers and facilitators to these tools for Indigenous communities and individuals
  • Discuss the role that service providers can play in supporting communities to navigate health systems and access the HIV prevention tools they need

With support from Elder Linda Barkman
With moderator: Aaron Bowerman

Speakers:

  • Mona Loutfy, Women’s College Hospital
  • Trevor Stratton, Communities, Alliances and Networks (CAAN)
  • Veronica Proper, Elevate NWO and Thunder Bay District Health Unit
  • Shawn Dookie, Elevate NWO

View the first and second webinars in this series.

This webinar will be presented in English. 

CATIE is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health to deliver information and education for HIV service providers in Ontario.