Category: How To

How peer advisory councils are improving access to harm reduction in communities across Manitoba

CATIE spoke with Shohan Illsley, executive director of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, about the peer advisory councils they coordinate across the province, and how this model is helping improve access to harm reduction within rural and remote communities. What are peer advisory councils and how do they fit into the work of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network? The Manitoba Harm Reduction Network is basically a network of networks. We have 11 networks in the province and nine of them work in rural and remote communities. Everywhere we have a network, we have a peer advisory council (PAC). PACs are...

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Five key recommendations to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV

Love Positive Women is an international movement that invites us to celebrate women living with HIV around the globe. This annual event is an opportunity to engage in acts of caring for the women living with HIV in our community, both in private acts and in pushing for systems change. In Canada, women make up approximately 25% of all people living with HIV. Despite this, women’s voices, priorities, and distinct needs have been underrepresented in the national conversation about HIV. Particularly in the space of sexual and reproductive health and rights, there are few initiatives that focus specifically on women...

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Spotting and the Good Samaritan Act: Implications and considerations

“Good Samaritan” laws aim to protect people who witness, act on or experience a substance-use-related overdose from being arrested or criminally charged. This type of legislation has been implemented across Canada and the United States as a response to the increase in fatal drug poisonings, but it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

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Navigating the sixth wave of COVID-19 as a person living with HIV

As a person living with HIV, I receive regular calls and messages from my peers with COVID-19 questions: “When I visit my family, should I wear a mask?” “Should I get a fourth shot, and when?” “How can mask mandates be lifted when we are in a sixth wave?”.

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