HIV/AIDS remains a persistent health issue in Canada and around the world. In Canada, an estimated 65,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS and there are approximately 2,500 new HIV infections every year. Canada has made great progress in addressing HIV/AIDS in the last three decades; however, there is still work to do to reach the goal of eliminating AIDS as a global public health threat by 2030.

On March 13th, 2018 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament for Labrador and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, announced an investment of $375,176 over three years from the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund for the Labrador Friendship Centre. The funding will support the Sexual Health Information Exchange Labrador District project to implement culturally appropriate community-based interventions to reduce sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI). For example, an art-based approach will be used as an effective method of promoting the prevention of STBBI among indigenous youth. These approaches will complement the development of multi-lingual educational materials that will be disseminated to at-risk populations in the community.

This funding is part of the $132 million the Public Health Agency of Canada is investing through the Community Action Fund over five years to support the work of organizations in addressing HIV and other STBBI.

For full press release please click the link below:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2018/03/government-of-canada-announces-support-to-help-reduce-hiv-in-newfoundland-and-labrador.html