At HIV Community Link we are committed to staying up-to-date on the latest and greatest information and trends affecting our work and the communities we serve. One way we do this is through our new series: What You Need to Know. The first four topics in this series are based on the most common and frequently asked questions we receive in-person, online, by phone, email and social media. Get in touch with all your questions – we’re the LINK!
Human Trafficking: A Sex Worker Rights & Harm Reduction Narrative
At Shift, we don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about human trafficking.
In 2014, we provided ongoing support and case management to 125 registered program clients; only a handful of these individuals had experienced trafficking. In the 8 year history of Shift, people experiencing human trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation have remained a small minority of the individuals we support.
2 Months or a Year – HCV Treatment Improvements
New direct-acting Antivirals are changing chronic Hepatitis C treatment for the better. Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment has gone from a once exhausting 48 weeks duration to as a little as 8 weeks with a 95% sustained virologic response (SVR). SVR is defined as a viremia (the presence of viruses in the blood) 24 weeks after completion of antiviral therapy for chronic HCV infection (. In analyses of SVR durability, the incidence of late relapse is extremely low, less than 1%.
13th Annual Harm Reduction Conference
This year we are so excited that Kenneth Tupper, Ph.D., Dr. Carl Hart and Donald MacPherson will be joining us as plenary speakers and we can’t wait to see who else! The call for abstracts for anyone interested in presenting has gone out and anyone wishing to submit an abstract related to policy, practice or research should do so by February 9, 2015!! The more the better!!
New Technologies are Changing the Dynamics of HIV Risk
Is a person who does not know their HIV status or who has never been tested pose a higher risk for HIV transmission due to their unknown or assumed HIV negative status than a person on TasP with controlled virus or on PreP and known HIV status? These are some of the questions being raised as a result of these new and emerging technologies.
It’s not all easy traveling when it comes to importing HIV Meds
We live in an increasingly global world and with that comes lots of travel, new experiences and health questions for those living with HIV and/or other chronic health conditions.
Has Your Partner Been Tested? 5 Tips to Finding Out
For some, a trip to the clinic for STI testing is as regular a part of their health routine as going to the doctor for a check-up. For others, it seems embarrassing, like they will …
Cowboys and Condoms!
YAH HOO! It is that time of year again. The cow folk are restless, the city is in anticipation with business and corporate sectors prepping the multitudes of pancake breakfasts and other Stampede celebration events …
Crack Pipe Vending Machines… What’s the Big Deal?
I’m sure many of you have seen the recent news articles about Vancouver’s crack pipe vending machines. These polka dot machines have been around for over a year but only now are they being publicized …
Just when I thought I was over it…. Response to Dallas Buyers Club
It never ceases to amaze me the things that will trigger a response to past experiences, even when we think they have been worked through and thought to be buried and packed away neatly into …