Turning Point joining in first national HIV Testing Day

“An innovative response to sexually transmitted and blood borne-infections that will impact community health is to offer walk-in, on-site testing as a wraparound service settled into a permanent supervised consumption site (SCS), which is a vision we hold for the future at Turning Point,” says Cunningham.

“Progressive methods of extending STBBI screening into rural and remote Central Alberta communities, where people are not accessing this healthcare, holds more promise for outreach work moving forward,” he adds. “National Testing Day is a step towards eliminating AIDS as a public health threat and responding to STBBIs in novel way.”

An estimated 1 in 5 Canadians living with HIV is unaware of their condition, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. About 75,000 people in Canada have HIV. There were 2,344 new HIV infections in Canada in 2016, an 11.6 per cent increase from 2015.

Officials say the National HIV Testing Day aims to reach individuals at risk of HIV exposure who lack adequate sexual health resources and capacity for HIV testing, including members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, off-reserve Indigenous communities and people who use drugs. It is expected more than 1,500 people will participate in the initiative and the pilot project will lead to more newly identified patients with HIV in the month of June across the country, compared to other months of the year. The project also aims to transfer knowledge to vulnerable populations and drive behavioural change to adopt best practices for sexual health and drug use.

Pre- and post-test counselling will be provided to all participants. If a participant tests positive for HIV or another STBBI, the local community based organization will be able to form a long-term relationship with the individual and work toward ensuring their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

More information on the National HIV Testing Day is available at www.cdnaids.ca/testing. On-site testing, food, and draw prizes will be offered for those choosing to be tested at Turning Point on Wednesday.

by Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Turning Point joining in first national HIV Testing Day

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