Resources to Learn About and Fight Stigma

As those living with HIV and /or working in the HIV and HCV communities know, stigma remains a large and challenging issue. PAN’s BC People Living with Stigma Index Project is currently in the data analysis phase and the reality of stigma experienced by people in BC is clear. Even as we are almost 40 years into the HIV epidemic, and know so much about prevention, treatment and care, stigma is still a reality.

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) has developed a number of resources. As their page introducing the resources reads,

Reducing stigma and discrimination requires more than one approach. Stigma and discrimination arise from individuals’ attitudes, values, beliefs and practices in addition to health and social service organizations’ policies, procedures, culture and environment.

Striving to support frontline service providers who offer STBBI-related services, we developed resources that underscore the individual and organizational factors required to enhance services and reduce related stigma, and ultimately improve health outcomes for those affected by or living with sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.

The CPHA resource page offers documents and workshop options to suit your needs.

Another stigma resource to note is a two-page fact sheet about internalized stigma that’s produced by the Centre for Disease Control in the US. It can be used as a discussion piece to support people living with HIV as well as in educating staff at HIV organizations, health care and social services.

Watch our blogs and the BC People Living with Stigma Index Project page in the next few months, as the Stigma Index team is analyzing BC data and themes to make decisions about knowledge translation products in line with these.

 

Learn More:

BC People Living with Stigma Index Study

 

 

Questions? Feedback? Get in touch! Janet Madsen, Capacity Building and Knowledge Translation Coordinator,

[email protected]