What’s New?
The past number of months we have all adjusted to many changes in our community as we worked together to reduce the spread of COVID 19. To ensure the health and wellness of our community, RHAC has followed all COVID response recommendations of public health and government directives. At this stage I am pleased to advise that we have determined a plan to expand available services at 186 King Street.
RHAC continued to provide “essential” on-site services throughout these past 6 months and we also delivered additional important services utilizing remote/virtual approaches. Throughout this time we have remained committed to serving the needs of people living with, affected by or at risk for HIV and HCV or vulnerable to opioid poisoning (overdose).
Effective Monday, September 14th we are pleased to let you know that we will begin to increase available on site services at 186 King Street. These services will be accessible by appointment or by drop in.
Staff from HIV/HCV Support Services will be on site to provide a range of supports including:
- Case management supports, peer support, Country Cupboard (food bank) and more
- Various community partners will be scheduled at 186 King for on-site HIV/HCV testing and more.
All individuals accessing services on site will be subject to the following requirements:
- Standard COVID 19 screening questions
- Wear a mask while on site (a mask will be provided as necessary)
- Use of hand sanitizer upon entry to RHAC premises, and continuous regular use throughout their visit
- NOTE: All RHAC staff and on-site partners participate in daily COVID-19 screening prior to entering the workplace
The 186 King Street entrance has controlled access. Individuals who intend to access RHAC through the King Street entrance simply need to take the following steps:
- Use the vestibule buzzer # 4003. RHAC staff will let individuals into the building
- Remain in lobby until a RHAC staff member comes to greet you
- RHAC staff will accompany individuals to and from designated service areas
- RHAC staff will wear a mask (or additional PPE as deemed necessary) for all service interactions
RHAC remains committed to the safety for its staff, service users, and guests and we will continue to monitor the impact of our service expansion and adjust approaches as necessary.
Thanks and we look forward to providing these expanded services to members of our community.
Brian Lester
Executive Director
On June 3 2020 Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) joined the rest of the HIV sector across Ontario by signing a statement of solidarity with Black Lives Matter. The statement includes a call for our own sector accountability to “examine the ways in which our own silence makes us complicit (to state violence against BIPOC) and commit to identifying and addressing occurrences of anti-Black racism within our sector and organizations.” RHAC is committed to ensuring our own accountability on these critically important issues. The history of HIV/AIDS social justice was driven by a lack of response from government, political leaders and others holding power within the system as gay men died of AIDS by the thousands. Again, we are fighting for the lives of marginalized community members.
RHAC will not be silent on this important issue and we stand with BLM and Pride London Festival (PLF) in support of their respectful request of London Police Service (LPS) to refrain from raising the Pride Flag in 2020. This does not need to be a divisive request, rather is presents an opportunity for LPS to engage in a dialogue with PLF and BLM to listen, with humility, as LPS works to address an explicit lack of progress with their own diversity/equity/inclusion plan.
RHAC values the important role of policing in our community! However the expanded scope of police responsibility has resulted in a default to utilization of police officers in matters better served by health, social service and other professionals. It is imperative to re-imagine police services in 2020. It’s equally important to assess and transform other long-standing systems and structures that perpetuate racism; including health, social services, justice and education. The lives of BIPOC literally depend on system transformation. We all have a role in moving toward a more civil society for all citizens.
Ontario’s HIV sector stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter to resist anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence.
Over the past week, we’ve witnessed unprecedented violence against Black communities in North America - much of it at the hands of the police and the state. The latest incidents of state-sanctioned violence against Black people, including Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and countless others, remind us that to be Black in North America is to live with enduring and historic anti-Black racism that perpetuates violence, and systemic, economic, health and social inequities. In recognition of these realities, the Ontario AIDS Network and its members stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movements in Ontario, across Canada, and around the world.
This is a critical moment for Ontario’s HIV sector to stand in solidarity with Black communities and speak out against anti-Black racism. It is vital that our network commit publicly to challenging white supremacy and to raising our collective voice against pervasive violence and systemic discrimination against Black people.
Our organizations and movement are built on foundational social justice principles that endure in our work to this day. Many of these same principles lay at the foundation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Our histories of collective HIV activism and the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots are prescient reminders of our deep roots of social action and resistance and of what change can come when we act together.
As we continue to use our collective tools and voices to dismantle HIV stigma and to challenge the status quo, we must begin to speak out louder on behalf of and with Black communities and organizations like Black Lives Matter. We must collectively acknowledge high and persistent HIV rates in Ontario’s African, Caribbean and Black communities and the ways that anti-Black racism and persistent health inequities contribute to this reality. Our collective voices must also rise in resistance to anti-Indigenous racism, transphobia, and countless other forms of oppression in our community.
While the state has indeed perpetrated violence against Black communities, we must acknowledge the role of our organizations in perpetuating this violence. As community-based organizations, we must examine the ways in which our own silence makes us complicit and commit to identifying and addressing occurrences of anti-Black racism within our sector and organizations.
The Ontario AIDS Network and its membership stand with those fighting for the fair and equitable treatment of Black communities at home and abroad. We the undersigned:
• Affirm this statement in solidarity with Black communities and with the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Commit ourselves to challenging anti-Black racism and violence through our actions.
• Commit to ensuring that Black communities who access HIV-related services in Ontario can do so without fear of discrimination.
Black Lives Matter.
Read the full statement here: https://oan.red/blm/
Regional HIV/AIDS Connection is collecting handmade face masks to be distributed to those we serve through our Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service. Many of our clients experience challenges, including housing instability, that make social distancing difficult. Face coverings are an additional measure that we are requesting on behalf of our clients to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
We need our community’s help. If you are able to sew or make a non-medical mask, please contact Fran at fmckeown@hivaidsconnection.ca or (519) 239-0802. We will accept donation drop-offs at John Gordon Home (596 Pall Mall Street, London, ON) between 8 AM—5 PM. Please contact Fran if pick-up is required.
It is recommended that donated masks:
- Fit snugly, but comfortably, without causing difficulty breathing
- Should include straps or ties to secure the mask over one’s ears
- Should include multiple layers of fabric
- Should be easy to machine wash and dry without damaging the integrity of the mask
For more information about how to make a face mask, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
Nominate a Volunteer: VKH Awards
Nominations are now open for RHAC's volunteer awards! Regional HIV/AIDS Connection’s Volunteer Awards highlight how volunteers have enhanced the delivery of our mission in the counties we serve. The awards celebrate volunteers who embody our value statement: “The courage to do what is right” and embrace our vision of Voice, Knowledge and Hope while exemplifying our guiding principles.
To nominate a volunteer:
- Fill out our online form
- Email the completed form to fmckeown@hivaidsconnection.ca
Deadline is May 31.
RHAC's next scheduled PrEP Clinic (April 3, 2020) will be provided by phone. After that time, the mode of delivery for our bi-weekly PrEP Clinic (i.e. phone appointments vs. in-person appointments) will be determined based on the most current information available about COVID-19 and municipal, provincial and federal health recommendations. We will be sure to share updates accordingly. Thank you for your ongoing flexibility, understanding and support during this time.
Effective March 23, 2020, calls to RHAC’s main phone lines at (519) 434 1601 or toll-free at 1 (866) 920-1601 will be handled through our automated messaging service. You will be provided with guided instructions for leaving your message on staff extensions. Messages will be checked regularly and responded to as soon as possible. Please note that you will still have the option to leave a message on our general agency mailbox, send emails directly to staff, or email RHAC at info@hivaidsconnection.ca. All other RHAC services remain unchanged from last week's announcement.
"Regional HIV/AIDS Connection remains committed to offering meaningful and effective support and education to those we serve, as we navigate emerging information," says Holly Taylor, RHAC's Manager of HIV/HCV Support Services. "We are pleased to share the following document, published by UNAIDS; a reputable and trusted source for information, about unique considerations surrounding the COVID-19 for people living with HIV."
According to UNAIDS, "It’s important to underline that there is currently no strong evidence that people living with HIV are at an especially increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or if they do contract it they will experience a worse outcome. This does not mean that people living with HIV should take COVID-19 lightly and they must take all precautions to protect themselves." (via UNAIDS).
"Like HIV-negative people, HIV-positive may also be at risk for coronavirus-related complications if they are over the age of 65 or have any of the underlying conditions associated with greater risk of illness, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney injury." (Source: CATIE)