Table des organismes communautaires montréalais de lutte contre le VIH/sida (TOMS) is highlighting World AIDS Day with the 34th commemorative vigil

MONTREAL, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - As every year, the Table des organismes communautaires montréalais de lutte contre le VIH/sida (TOMS) is highlighting World AIDS Day with the 34th commemorative vigil which will be held on December 1, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. at Parc de l'Espoir.

Today, thousands of Montrealers are affected by HIV/AIDS, and the list of people who have died continues to grow despite all the progress made. The epidemic is exacerbated as much by inadequate and stigmatizing public policies as well as systemic discrimination by social and public health institutions. Our communities deserve public policies that are based on their needs and up-to-date scientific data.

This has a devastating impact on the communities concerned, which is aggravated by the following:

• The important toll on overall health (psychological, physical, social) which is exacerbated by the high cost of treatments that continues to increase due to inflation;
• The lack of adequate care and STBBI prevention which is intensified by a lack of funding for peer work intervention and short appointments without proper aftercare in addition to other factors.

The following solutions have been long identified by community organizations in the field, and they must be involved in all levels of implementation (planning, implanting services, and receiving feedback) to ensure their success (please note that this is not an exhaustive list of solutions, but a few examples);

• Guaranteeing adequate and sustainable funding for organizations which missions are related to HIV and STBBI prevention and support, to ensure the longevity of comprehensive health care services;
• Ensuring socialized health care coverage of medications (anti-viral meds, PReP and PEP) to ensure treatment adherence, prevention and to mitigate the economic burden of the inflation boom;
• Supporting legislative work pertaining to issues relevant to the communities to ensure the decriminalization of the following: non-disclosure of HIV status, sex work and drugs.
• Eliminating systemic discrimination in health and social services by providing mandatory trainings related to HIV/AIDS issues.

As our tradition, the vigil will be a unique combination of speeches, music and sharing of thoughts. We invite you to join us to reflect, commemorate the work of our communities and to show your solidarity with all people living with HIV, and all those affected.

About the TOMS

Table des organismes communautaires montréalais de lutte contre le VIH/sida (TOMS) aims to support, promote the actions and defend the interests of its members and the communities they represent. TOMS brings together 31 community organizations working in HIV and STBBI prevention, health promotion and wellness, housing and support for people living with HIV/AIDS and other STBBIs, as well as their families.

Our online presence :

Website: http://toms-mtl.org
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/toms.mtl
Twitter : https://twitter.com/MtlToms
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/toms.mtl

Ressources :

https://www.cocqsida.com/nos-dossiers/recherche-communautaire/index-stigmatisation.html 

https://pvsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/plaidoyer-recherche-insecurite-financiere.pdf 

SOURCE Table des organismes communautaires montréalais de lutte contre le sida (TOMS)

Léo MARY, Communications coordinator, Table des organismes communautaires montréalais de lutte contre le sida (TOMS), [email protected], 514-975-5539