Government of Canada supports community-based projects addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, during a World AIDS Day flag raising ceremony, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health, announced $46.9 million in funding through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and the Harm Reduction Fund (HRF). This funding will be directed towards 18 projects to support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI.

Today's funding includes over $41.8 million through the CAF, which will support 15 community-based interventions to address HIV, hepatitis C, and other STBBI. One project receiving funding is the Integrated National HIV Prevention Strategy for African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) People in Canada project. This project will improve access to HIV prevention for sub-populations within ACB communities across Canada through education, community mobilization, increased access to testing and prevention technologies, and barrier reduction for care.

This announcement also includes over $5 million through the HRF, which will support three projects to help reduce HIV and hepatitis C among people who share injection and inhalation drug-use equipment. One project receiving funding under the HRF is the Copper Canoe: Indigenous Harm Reduction Wise Practices project. Through this project, Communities, Alliances, and Networks (CAAN) and the Dr. Peter Centre will increase capacity of frontline health care professionals, service providers, and organizations to provide stigma-free and culturally safe harm reduction services for Indigenous People.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with, and support, 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 threats by 2030.

Quotes

"As HIV, hepatitis C, and other STBBI remain a public health concern that disproportionately affect certain communities in Canada, community-based intervention is critical. The funding announced today supports projects that will engage people living with HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI, as well as those at risk of infection, to help communities meet their prevention, testing, treatment, and support needs. Together, with community organizations we can keep improving the health of everyone in Canada and our ability to reach global targets."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

"While progress has been made in advancing the prevention and treatment of STBBIs in Canada, much more needs to be done to improve the physical and mental health of people impacted most, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Congratulations to all those receiving funding through today's announcement. Your work will go far in reducing stigma toward populations affected by STBBIs, preventing new and reoccurring infections, and connecting people to adequate testing, prevention, treatment and care." 

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett 
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

"World AIDS Day, first and foremost, is about honouring the millions of lives we have lost over the last 4 decades and standing in solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS. It is also a time for reflection on what we have achieved with regard to the local, national and global response to HIV/AIDS and a time to recommit to what we still must achieve to eradicate HIV/AIDS. There are an estimated 38 million people in the world living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 63,000 people in Canada and 6 Canadians contract HIV every day. Let us also not forget that HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination continues to persist and remains one of our biggest challenges and barriers in this fight to end this pandemic. This year's UNAIDS theme is Equalize reminding us that HIV thrives where inequities persist, we have to achieve equity to end HIV."

Khaled Salam
Executive Director at the AIDS Committee of Ottawa

Quick Facts

• This year, the Government of Canada is investing $106.4 million to help address STBBI across Canada.
• 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.
• In addition, the Government of Canada is investing a further $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.
• On August 1, 2022, the Government of Canada announced $17.9 million in time-limited funding (2022-2023) to improve access to testing, including $8M to community-based organizations to support their capacity to distribute and promote HIV self-tests and link people to care. An additional $9.9M was provided to the National Microbiology Laboratory to expand community-based testing in northern, remote, and isolated communities including $1.2M 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).

Related Products

• Government of Canada supports community-based projects addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections

Associated Links

• HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund
• Harm Reduction Fund
• Accelerating our response: Government of Canada five-year action plan on sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections

SOURCE Health Canada

Guillaume Bertrand, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations: Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Maja Staka, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, 343-552-5568; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709