From Stigma to Strength – Reflections on This Year’s PAN Fall Conference

 

Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Fall Conference, PLHIV Forum and AGM, which was held on the traditional territories of the Syilx (Okanagan) people October 30-31st.   We were gifted with a welcome from Elder Wilfred “Grouse” Barnes and drummer Margaret Manuel who opened the event and set the tone for a truly collaborative and productive gathering.

Something very exciting about this year’s event, was the ratification of the governance changes that were presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).   Many years of consultation with PAN member groups, people living with HIV, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders and leaders resulted in a new set of bylaws and constitution being put to the vote! In the mid-90’s, the original mission of PAN was informed by the urgent need to press for social justice for people living with HIV and respond to the AIDS epidemic.

Yet as the number of people impacted by HIV grew, as their complex needs became more evident, and as PAN member organizations in turn grew and adapted services to meet the need in their communities…so too PAN changed our mission in 2013 to reflect this: “Working collaboratively, the Pacific AIDS Network builds the capacity and skills of its member organizations, including people with lived experience, to effectively address HIV/AIDS, HCV, and related communicable diseases and conditions.” We knew when we expanded our mission that our original governance structures- built on the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV – would need to evolve to address hepatitis C. Additionally, we recognized it was critical for member organizations and projects that serve Indigenous populations and communities to have a designated voice, consistent with Truth and Reconciliation principles.  As we looked at changes to board composition and membership, there were many discussions and opportunities for input along the way. The PAN board of directors worked diligently to address concerns and ensure that we continue to honour our legacy of HIV activism and leadership.

It was truly gratifying to have the special resolutions pass unanimously and to see all the support in the room for these changes.  This was a heartening response to the work of so many people over the years. And for the board of PAN and the staff, it was very honoring for us to receive such a “vote of confidence”.  Thank you to all who were in the room and voted in support – thanks too to all who weren’t in the room but provided thoughtful input and counsel through the years.  Together, we strengthen the community response for people living with HIV or hepatitis C in BC.

Beyond the work we accomplished at the AGM, our day and half together was very full and as always the fall conference was an important and precious opportunity to meet face to face, to build awareness of issues affecting our communities, and to share successes and challenges. This year, we also very much wanted to focus on the issue of women living with HIV and/or hepatitis C. With the closure of the Positive Women’s Network (PWN) in the spring of 2017, a resource that served many women across the province vanished. Sadly, many women still have found no ready replacement in their communities.

The lack of services for women was underscored on Day 1 of the conference, when a panel of women with lived experience illustrated the many layers of stigma women face, from personal relationship dynamics to systemic violence and inequity, to criminalization of drug use and sex work – all of which compromises women’s safety and dignity. The panel was followed by a presentation on the ViVA for Women’s Empowerment Forum, an event which had taken place the week prior to the PAN conference. ViVA – a Standing Committee of Positive Living BC – is a group of women living with HIV from across BC. The Women’s Empowerment Forum was a face-to-face gathering for women to generate ideas to talk about program needs for community-based women’s services and strengthen peer-connections. You can read more about the recommendations that flowed from the ViVA event .

Day 1 also included a presentation by Richard Elliott, Executive Director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network on the ongoing criminalization of HIV non-disclosure.  Richard provided an invaluable update on BC’s prosecutorial guidelines – highlighting shared concerns and underscoring the need for further advocacy from PAN and our members on this with Attorney General David Eby.

Important provincial updates included: an epi update (HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis) from Dr. Jason Wong (BC Centre for Disease Control); an update on the province’s PrEP program from Dr. Junine Toy (BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS); an update on the ongoing crisis of overdose and overdose deaths from Miranda Compton (Overdose Emergency Response Centre – BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions); and an update on STOP HIV and viral hepatitis in BC from Robin Yates (BC Ministry of Health). We also heard about federal funding programs and activities from Joshua Mann (Public Health Agency of Canada – Western Region). Regional health authority representatives presented on Day 2, including Andrea Derban (First Nations Health Authority), Maja Karlsson (Interior Health), Ashley Stoppler (Northern Health), Sophie Bannar-Martin (Vancouver Island Health Authority), Nancy Chow (Vancouver Coastal Health), and Dr. Jason Wong (Provincial Health Services Authority). As always, these presentations and the Q&A sessions with health authority reps, by the Ministries of Health and PHAC, were of passionate interest for conference delegates.

In retrospect, when I think of two “take away” words from this year’s conference program, they might well be “strength” and “stigma”. Although they sound contradictory, the presenters on the women with lived experience panel demonstrated so eloquently how these two are interrelated – speaking candidly not only of the many challenges they face, but also about their individual responses and their great leadership in challenging stigma. Day 2 included a presentation on the findings from the BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index Project during which we asked for community feedback on the data and how to best move forward. Conference delegates voted for advocacy tools as the #1 priority in knowledge translation and were united in their keen interest to transform “knowledge to action”. Finally, during her compelling keynote address on Day 2, Dr. Shannon MacDonald, Deputy Chief Medical Office for the First Nations Health Authority reflected on the mix of strength and stigma too within Indigenous communities.  Her emphasis on a strengths-based approach to community wellness, rather than one that dwells on difficult statistics, was much appreciated by all.

Thank you again to all of the presenters at this year’s conference, in particular the women who honestly and openly contextualized their experiences living with HIV and hepatitis C. It was an honour to hear you. Thank you to the Provincial Health Services Authority for all the financial support to help us come together face to face, and the support and encouragement for this women-focussed programming. Thank you to the PAN staff and the board of directors, who once again went “above and beyond” to ensure a meaningful event.  And finally, thanks to all who were able to attend, for your presence and positive energy. Together we created a respectful and powerful space, one which will continue to inspire me for months to come!

 
 
 
 
 
Questions? Feedback? Get in touch!
Jennifer (Evin) Jones, Executive Director,
[email protected]