Front Line May 2013

Naloxone Program
The Thunder Bay Drug Strategy's Harm Reduction
Working group will be conducting a program launch for
the Superior Thunder Bay Overdose Prevention Program
(STOPP). This will offer overdose prevention training,
including the administration of Naloxone - a medication
that can reverse an opioid overdose. This initiative was an
identified priority action in Travelling the Road to Change
(2012).
Volume 26
Issue 1
Spring 2013
Inside this issue:
Fundraising News
2
Cross Canada Cocktail Tour
3
Community Development
4
Client Services Update
5
News from the Volunteer
Department
6
Here and There...
7
Parting glance
8
Insert
1&2
We are trying to save on printing and
postage costs. If you are still
receiving this newsletter by mail we
would appreciate it if you could send
us your email address. We will send
you an email letting you know when
future newsletters are available online
or on our website.
Thank you so much for helping us out
with this!
No more this:
Just this:
The training will be administered by staff from the TBDHU
and AIDS Thunder Bay who have received training from
the Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program.
STOPP is based on the principles outlined in their
guidance document. Input has also been received from
Toronto Public Health as they have implemented a
successful program.
The training will be offered to those who have a history of
opioid use. They will receive training on risk reduction,
recognition of signs of overdose as well as effective
responses to an overdose. The response component of
the program includes Naloxone administration and those
who complete the training will receive a Naloxone kit.
AIDS Thunder Bay is proud to support this program and
looks forward to continuing to work with community
partners to reduce the risk of deaths due to overdose in
our community.
—————————————————————————--
Regional Presence
The Outreach team at AIDS Thunder Bay is working to
develop a regional presence. Last week staff met with
members of the Sioux Lookout Sexually Transmitted
Infection and Blood Born Illness Working group to talk
about establishing Peer Outreach Workers in their
community. Staff will be continuing to work with
stakeholders in that community to develop a program to
meet the unique needs of the Sioux Lookout Community.
The program is tentatively scheduled to launch sometime
this summer.
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
A big thank you to all of our A Taste For Life participating restaurants. Your generous support is
greatly appreciated. Thank you also to our sponsors, The Chronicle-Journal, Giant 105.3 and
Magic 99.9.
Our annual Tag Day will be on Saturday, June 8th this
year. We will be at the LCBOs again. Please come out and
support the Red Ribbon Campaign and AIDS Thunder Bay
with a donation.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
574 Memorial Avenue
The Annual Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is our single largest fundraising event. Consider joining either as an individual or as part of a
team.
Our AIDS Walk will take a different format this year. It will be on a
Thursday evening rather than Sunday afternoon. We will have a
shorter walk followed by a barbecue.
Watch for us at Summer in the Parks on Wednesday nights. We will
have information and sign-up sheets available.
Here are some of the reasons people are participating in our AIDS Walk:





The pledges you collect stay in our community
Hundreds of individuals and families are affected by this disease
An hour of your life means a lifetime to someone else
Every pledge collected and step taken helps someone in our community with HIV/AIDS.
It’s easier to turn your back but more rewarding to give
In person and online registration will be available within the next few weeks!
www.aidswalkforlife.org/ThunderBay.htm
Page 2
BINGO
IN SUPPORT OF
Thursday May 30th 1:00 pm
Tuesday June 11th 1:00 pm
Saturday June 22nd 1:00pm
425 Northern Avenue, CLE grounds
Come on out and support our programs and
services!
Peggy Frank’s Cross Canada Cocktail Tour stopped at AIDS Thunder Bay on May 16, 2013
<— Peggy
Frank —>
Page 3
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Gay Men’s Sexual Health Summit
I look forward to attending the yearly Gay Men’s Sexual Health Summit in Toronto each May. These days are valuable for the
knowledge exchange and this year was no exception. The theme was Supporting a Strong Mind, Body and Community. Attending
the train-the-trainer workshop prior to the conference, I got an insight at the direction the GMSH is taking.
We looked at the underlying causes and addressing them in a holistic approach. We have heard of the social determinants of
health but there are also specific Gay determinants of health which are not so well understood by mental health care professionals.
There are multiple factors that affect gay populations disproportionately, resulting in many cases in increases in levels of stress that
other populations in society do not have to experience. These include the following: vulnerability and resilience; homophobia and
heterosexism; coming out; biology and endowment; gender; healthy childhood development; culture; social support networks;
income and social status; social and physical environments; personal health and coping skills; and health services.
The good news is that when you look at such factors, even when people have multiple factors, they still do not become addicted,
infected etc. It is this resilience that needs to be looked at more closely which makes a lot of sense. More mental health professionals are looking at how to make their practice affirmative for gay-bi-trans men in Ontario and now they have resources at the GMSH
to help them and other agencies. Web site (not sure if it is up yet but this is the link) www.ouragenda.ca
Thunder Pride
June 9 – 15 Annual Thunder Pride will be held – celebrating our LGBTQ community. AIDS Thunder Bay is proud to sponsor the Annual Thunder Pride. Look for our display table at Saturday’s Family Day and our outreach workers at the Pub Crawl and Drag Show
with information and handouts.
Cross Canada Cocktail Tour, Toast to Toast
Check out the Facebook Page of the “Cross Canada Cocktail Tour, Toast to Toast”, This is not a cocktail party. Peggy Frank, a sculptor and long-term HIV survivor is a finalist in the Outdoor Sculpture Contest and will travel from Victoria to the east coast with her
7 foot cocktail glass made from empty HIV medication bottles. Follow her on Facebook. It is visuals like this display that really show
the impact of HIV. She mentioned the presentation where a PHA carried a huge garbage can of empty medication bottles and said
“yes this is a manageable disease” as she dumped them all over. We don’t really see the effects of what PHA’s have to live with as
they “manage” HIV. This is a very powerful image and one that more people, especially youth need to see. Follow her on her blog
at http://peggyfrank.blogspot.ca/. Peggy and her “chauffeur” Cathy stopped at AIDS Thunder Bay on May 16 and we got to see
the sculpture and take pictures (see some pg.3). Donations for this tour are appreciated via Persons Living with AIDS http://
www.vpwas.com/. The card below is printed with the permission of Peggy Frank and the pictures are also printed with her permission.
Page 4
Client Services Update
New ATB Staff
My name is Anne Chuchmuch and I am the new MOIP Program Assistant. I look forward to working here
at AIDS Thunder Bay. I am also a facilitator for New Directions Speakers School and have also worked as
Office Administrator for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario. I hope that my experience
will be a valuable asset to AIDS Thunder Bay, not only for clients but also for the agency. Thank-you
Hi, my name is Rob Davey and I
am very excited to be the newly
hired Hep C Outreach Worker. My
background is as a Social Service
Worker and I have worked on the
front line for 5 years. I have been
part of AIDS Thunder Bay as a
volunteer and a peer for the last
couple of years and am very excited
to be part of the staff now.
Hi everyone, my name is Wayne Amirault
and I am your new Food Security Worker.
You may recognize me from the various
peer groups and other activities I have
attended at the agency. I have a background in the food service industry and
am happy to apply my knowledge of the
Canada Food Guide to meet the dietary
requirements of my community. I look
forward to meeting and serving all of you.
The Education/Community Development roadshow to Sioux Lookout, originally scheduled for March, was
finally achieved in mid-May.
Bob and I were invited to bring ATB resources and have a brief dialogue with service providers from Sioux
Lookout and surrounding communities on community engagement and collaboration.
Our venue was Day 2 of the Sioux Lookout Healthy Community Taskforce conference: Creating a Healthy
Community; Understanding Addictions, Building Partnerships, Finding Solutions. Nick Boyce, Provincial Director, Ontario HIV and Substance Use Training Program, and keynote speaker, invited us to piggyback on his
Harm Reduction workshop.
While we had only a few minutes to talk about the resources we brought along—and left with the Healthy
Community Taskforce—as well as screen a clip from the Blood2Blood play (“How’d You Get It?”), “it” referring to Hepatitis C, we were able to reach an audience of nearly 300 people and make some strategic connections, which we will follow-up. To see the videos, go to: www.blood2blood.org . And always remember:
Don’t Share a Bloody Thing!
Annie Jollymore
Hep C & IDU Community Developer
Women and HIV/AIDS Update:
To prepare for the upcoming WHAI Forum on June 4 & 5th in Toronto, I have prepared a slide presentation
highlighting the key events over the past year. We have been involved in the Montreal Massacre Memorial,
Take Back the Night, and International Women’s Day events. At the provincial level a logo/branding is being
created and a Power Point for the WHAI coordinators to use. WHAI has recently introduced Ning, which is a
website for us to communicate through instead of using e-mail.
Carrie Miller
Women & HIV/AIDS Community Developer
Page 5
News from the Volunteer Department
Here’s what’s
happening in the
coming months:
Our annual Waffle Breakfast in February was once again a big success; as was the
A Taste For Life dining out event on April 24th. These successes were due to the
hard work of many volunteers. Thank you to all of you who were involved. It’s always a pleasure and a lot of fun to work with you.
Tag Day—Sat. June 8
AIDS Walk—Thurs.
Sept. 19
 Opening Doors
Counselling
Conference—Oct.
(date TBA)
 AGM—Nov. (date
TBA)
The Waffle Breakfast was it’s usual busy, hectic, but very fun day, staffed by an
army of volunteers. A Taste For Life was attended by numerous happy diners who
were greeted by courteous, friendly volunteers thanking them for coming out to
support AIDS Thunder Bay and giving them red ribbons and ballots for the door
prize draws. Many thanks to the restaurants who were involved: Bistro One, Fox on
the Run, Gargoyles Grille, Ling Lee’s PA Curling Club, Masala Grill and Roosters Bistro.


If you would like to
volunteer for any of these
events, please call Selly at
345-1516.
Coming up next will be the tag day on Saturday, June 10th, the annual AIDS Walk
For Life in September (this will be held on an evening this year, Thursday, September 19th, beginning at 5:30), the Opening Doors Counselling Conference in October
and our Annual General Meeting in November. I’ll be calling for volunteers—unless
you call me first and let me know you want to volunteer at these events.
Selly Pajamaki, Volunteer Coordinator
Thank you to all our volunteers who have given
so much over the past
year. We really appreciate
all you have done.
Attention all clients,
volunteers and visitors
to the AIDS Thunder
Bay office. We are a
‘scent-free’
building.
Please do not wear
colognes,
perfumes,
aftershave, or scented
makeup or hairspray
when
visiting
our
premises.
They have
been known to cause
allergic reactions for
staff,
clients
and
volunteers. Some scented
fabric softeners have
also caused reactions.
Page 6
ENTHUSIASTIC VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
ATB is seeking volunteers to assist with bingo fundraisers. Bingos run approximately twice a month, usually afternoons, but sometimes also evenings, and are
a great place to meet other volunteers. This volunteer position involves selling
bingo cards to clients and requires being able to meet the public and handle money. Volunteers should wear comfortable shoes as you will be on your feet for
several hours. You must be 18 years of age.
If you are interested in this exciting volunteer opportunity, call
Selly at 345-1516 ext 212
Here and There...
FibroScan
AIDS Thunder Bay recently hosted a successful FibroScan clinic with the help of MERCK pharmaceuticals.
FibroScan is a completely non-invasive, rapid and painless alternative to the liver biopsy. This small ultrasound,
elastography machine can easily provide accurate liver
staging results for approximately 40 people in only one
day. This is especially exciting for those who were once
not able to get a liver biopsy and for those who are interested in Hepatitis C treatment.
For Information About AIDS or HIV Infection:
Call the AIDS Hotline at 1-800-668-2437
About Superior Points:
Call 624-2005, 625-8830 or 625-8831
About Anonymous HIV Testing in Thunder
Bay
Call 625-5981 or 624-2000
Shanna Monto
HCV Treatment Nurse
———————————————————————————
About Regular HIV Testing
Call the Sexual Health Clinics 625-5976 or 6242000
Opening Doors Counseling Conference
About Counselling or Referrals
Call AIDS Thunder Bay 345-1516
Our Opening Doors Counseling Conference is just
around the corner. Each year we bring in experts from
around the province as well as members of our local
community to provide education on the unique needs of
people living with, affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
This year’s event will focus on continuing to develop
people’s theoretical knowledge, counselling skills for service providers and skill development for members of the
client community. Keep watching for event details.
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Upcoming Events
Starting in June AIDS Thunder Bay will be hosting
monthly activities. These activities will be led by members of the client community for members of the client
community. The activities range from craft circles to tubing down the Kam River. Watch for your calendar of activities and please remember that space may be limited so
sign up early if you would like to attend. All activities are
free of charge.
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Help Needed
AIDS Thunder will be working with several focus groups
over the summer to “forge a new identity” as outlined in
the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan. We are currently looking
for 5 volunteers from the client community to be part of
the focus groups. If you are interest please call Holly at
345-1516 or email her at hgauvin@aidsthunderbay.org
About
HIV/AIDS/Hep
Information
Call Catie (Community
Service bilingue disponible
C
Treatment
AIDS
Treatment
ALL CALLS CONFIDENTIAL
Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time)
CATIE
Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
1-800-263-1638
HIV/AIDS Treatment Information
email: info@catie.ca
internet: www.catie.ca
The opinions and medical information offered by
“Front Line” are those of the individual authors and
not necessarily those of the staff and Board of
Directors of AIDS Thunder Bay. Medical information
offered should be used at your own discretion. Please
consult your doctor.
Please address any comments or concerns to:
Front Line
574 Memorial Ave.
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 3Z2
Or, e-mail us at: info@aidsthunderbay.org
Visit us on the internet at: www.aidsthunderbay.org
Page 7
Parting Glance
Have You Purchased Your ATB
Membership?
Is your membership up-to-date? If you would like to
renew or purchase a membership, please fill out this
form and mail or fax it to:
AIDS Thunder Bay
574 Memorial Ave.
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 3Z2
Phone #: 345-1516 Fax #: 345-2505
Or, bring your completed form into the office.
AIDS Thunder Bay Board of Directors
Bruno Allard
Fran Dutli
Maureen Kahn
Carol Nicholson
Sandra Russell
Karen Vescio
AIDS Thunder Bay Staff
Wayne Amirault
Anne Chuchmuch
Joanne Clark
John Crilly
Mike Croft
Rob Davey
Holly Gauvin
Name: ____________________________________
Address: __________________________________
__________________________________
Postal Code: _______________________________
Phone #: (Work)____________(Home)___________
When calling, would you prefer us to use discretion?
Yes _____
No _____
Would you like to receive information by email?
Yes _____
No _____
Email address:
________________________________________
This information may be used in future to contact you about
fundraising/special events. Please note, AIDS Thunder Bay
does not exchange mailing lists. All lists are confidential.
Basic membership
$10.00
Supporting membership
$25.00
I would also like to donate
$_____
Page 8
Nancee Day
Dennis Eeles
Lyn McInnis
Ruth Racic
Brent Trudell
Michelle Gentile
Annie Jollymore
Bob Manson
Rita Marano
Carrie Miller
Shanna Monto
Selly Pajamaki
Kylie Scavarelli
Eric Shih
Fred Young
Food Security Worker
Education/Support Grp Facil.
Dir. Of Finance & Resources
Case Worker
Outreach Worker
Outreach Worker
Dir. of Client Services/Acting
E.D.
Case Worker
Hep C & IDU Com. Developer
Dir. Of Community Dev.
Hepatitis C Treatment Nurse
Women & HIV/AIDS Com.
Developer
Hepatitis C Treatment Nurse
Coordinator of Vol. Services
Program Support Assistant
Blood-to-Blood Proj. Coord.
Treatment & Intake Worker
Front Line Contributors
Selly Pajamaki
ATB staff & volunteers
Editor
AIDS Thunder Bay acknowledges and thanks
our various funders:

Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care AIDS Bureau and Hepatitis C Secretariat
 Public Health Agency of Canada, Ontario Region
(ACAP)
And all of the people involved in general fundraising
and the support of many local businesses and
individuals
Blood2Blood Project Update
On Friday, January 25, we held our Blood2Blood Project launch gala, which included the premiere of the play
written for our project, Hepatitis C-eatre. Over 90 people attended the event. You can watch scenes from the
play or the entire production itself by visiting our project website: www.blood2blood.org.
Cast of Hepatitis C-eatre: Left to Right:
Evan, Stefani, Nancy and Rob
We were able to give out our just finished
Blood2Blood comic on Free Comic Book Day,
which took place on Saturday, May 4th. A special
thank you goes to Comix Plus Music Exchange
and Hill City Comics for handing out our comics
on that day. We will be doing a large press run of
the comics in a few weeks, so keep your eyes out
for your own copy of the Blood2Blood Comic.
Photo taken at Comix Plus Music Exchange.
Front Line
Insert 1
Friday, May 17 was International Day Against Homophobia. To recognize the day, the SAGE group along
with AIDS Thunder Bay, Rainbow Health, Thunder Pride, Children’s Centre of Thunder Bay and the City of
Thunder Bay held a raising of the rainbow flag at city hall. Peggy Franks from the “Cross Canada Cocktail
Tour” also attended and spoke briefly. Robin Cooper representing SAGE and Bob Manson representing AIDS
Thunder Bay hoisted the flag with pride.
CATIE News
American Academy of Pediatrics issues statement on infant feeding and HIV transmission
The widespread availability of potent combination anti-HIV therapy (commonly called ART or HAART) has
greatly reduced deaths from AIDS-related infections in high-income countries such as Canada, Australia and
the U.S. and regions such as Western Europe. The tremendous power of ART is such that young adults who
become HIV positive today who initiate ART are expected to live for several decades, provided they have no
other pre-existing health issues and are engaged in their care and treatment. Due to the enormous benefits
of ART, more and more HIV-positive people are thinking of having families.
HEALTHY BABIES
An essential part of preventing mother-to-child transmission is HIV testing for women who are thinking of
having a baby or who are pregnant.
Although HIV can be transmitted from mother to child—this is called vertical transmission—the risk of transmission can be reduced to less than 1% with the following steps, which are commonly followed in Canada
and similar countries:
 Prenatal counselling and care
 Taking ART during pregnancy so that viral load is as low as possible
 Having intravenous AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir) during delivery of the baby and Caesarian section for delivery (when medically necessary)
 A short course of anti-HIV medicines for the baby after birth
 Use of formula rather than breastfeeding (HIV an be transmitted via breastfeeding)
 Not pre-chewing food for the baby when solids are introduced. Adults who have both HIV and oral infections can inadvertently cause a small amount of blood to leak and be present in the food that they chew.
This blood can contain HIV, and if the pre-chewed food is fed to the infant, it could transmit HIV.
Without ART, the risk of vertical transmission can be at least 26%.
This information was provided by CATIE (the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange). For more information, contact CATIE at 1-800-263-1638.
Front Line
Insert 2