About 10 to 15 people are diagnosed with HIV in northern BC every year.
But that average may be higher as many people don’t know they have the disease.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates around 25% of people living with HIV are unaware and so we want to continue to increase testing to reduce the number that are unaware,” says Northern Health Regional Director of Chronic Diseases Ciro Panessa.
To support HIV and Hepatitis C initiatives Northern health has awarded $1.59 million to eight agencies and 23 First Nations communities across the north.
“Things like the distribution and recovery of safer drug use supplies, the distribution of safer sex supplies, initiatives that allow peers to train- the trainer type of activities where peers can then go educate others,” says Panessa.
Northern Health’s funding is part of the Provincial STOP HIV/Aids initiative.
“The regional health authorities like Northern Health has been partnering with the ministry as well as the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS to better reach and engage people in HIV prevention, testing, care treatment and support,” says Panessa.
Communities receiving funding include Prince George, Dawson Creek and the Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society.
“We want to be able to integrate the HIV awareness and harm reduction program into the community be it more by actually having the opportunity to go out into the community more, provide presentations, provide educational seminars etcetera,” says Fort Nelson Aboriginal Friendship Society Program Coordinator Lukas Skoczylas.
The society says there’s a huge stigma surrounding HIV in the small community.
This funding will help provide their outreach service to protect client privacy.
“Part of this is being able to go out there and actually provide services to people in a more discreet manner where they don’t feel like they have to be pressured to come to an office or a building or something like that where people might know them,” says Skoczylas.