Northern BC First Nations HIV/AIDS Coalition Brief Synopsis of First Six Years October 19, 2011 1.

CSFS Leadership Forum Declaration on HIV/AIDS in the North Jun 05 a) Under the leadership of Warner Adam in response to the Cedar Projects research the Carrier Sekani Family Services held a Leadership Forum on June 1 and 2, 2005 in Prince George, BC. At that time 60 Chiefs from across Northern B.C. as well as provincial and national HIV/AIDS organizations and health professionals attended the two day forum to discuss the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases in Aboriginal communities. They signed a declaration for action on HIV/AIDS. As a result the Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Task Force with specific inclusion of youth and elders was formed. b) There were a couple of Chairs hired that did some work getting some of the documents such as the Terms of Reference, Memorandum of Understanding and the start of a strategic plan. 2. Task Force Stabilized 2006 a) The new Chair Emma Palmantier was hired and there were various projects that got underway. The Task Force was launched with the mandate of developing a strategic plan to improve services to Aboriginal HIV/AIDS infected and affected individuals and their families in northern B.C. As part of the plan, the Task Force was committed to improving access to services and addressing a number of key areas related to the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. b) Task Force Working Groups i) Political Action and Leadership Working Group The working group is now an ad hoc committee that will meet when necessary. ii) Education and Awareness Working Group has merged with the Research Group and chaired by Nathan Teegee, Carrier Sekani Family Services. They will be working with the ITrack researchers to finalize the Prince George site specific questions for the I-Track study Phase two. iii) Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment and Palliative Care Working Group is not active now. It was Chaired by Kathy MacDonald, Northern Health. The members decided to discuss items as a Task Force at the Quarterly Meetings vs. a working group via teleconference in between quarterly meetings. iv) Research and Evaluation Working Group has merged with the Education group. c) Task Force Quarterly Meetings i) This year we held meetings in January 2011, July 2011 in Prince George and recently in Saulteau First Nations in September. The next one is planned for December 2011 in Prince George. 3. Mobile Wellness Van April 2007 to Present a) A team consisting of Carrier Sekani Family Services, Northern Health, Positive Living North and the First Nations Inuit Health collaborated and developed a proposal for submission to the MAC AIDS fund. First Nations Inuit Health provided some additional funding to this grant and it was used to purchase the Wellness Van. Carrier Sekani Family Services negotiated a tripartite agreement to provide services for the van with Northern Health and Positive Living North. For more information please see Jan Tatlocks Evaluation Report from 2008. b) The van provides services for clients who may not access the fix-site needle exchange program during regular business hours. Therefore its program starts after hours from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am

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from Wednesday to Sunday during the summer months and winter season the hours change to 7:00 pm to 1:00 am. 4. Regional Sessions 2007 a) Regional sessions were scheduled and facilitated by Emma Palmantier, Chair, Barby Skaling, Educator and Rosa Johnny, Administrative Assistant in 2007. The information gathered at these consultation sessions became the blueprint that the Task Force implemented into their strategic plan. 5. I-Track Study, Phase One Jun 07 a) The I-Track Study is a national study funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The first phase of the study included five cities: Edmonton, Victoria, Regina, Sudbury and Toronto in 2003-2005. Phase II included Victoria, Sudbury, Kingston, Quebec and Prince George. The main purpose of the study was to find out about their drug use, their behaviours around the use of their equipment when using drugs, their sexual behaviours as well as where they access their medical/social services such as needle disposal and exchange. b) The Prince George study was started in 2007/2008 fiscal period, the initial findings were announced in December 2008 and the final report was completed in June 2009. About 150 Intravenous Drug Users were interviewed in Prince George. This anonymous study let the participants answer a questionnaire and provide an optional blood sample. They were recruited from the Prince George Needle Exchange Program and the Native Health Society. The interviewers were: David Nuualiitia, Jennifer Davey and Amanda Wood and the project coordinator was Martha Shoemaker. The other acknowledged contributors include Linda Keefe, Sue Broomsgrove, Jill Tarasuk, Dr. Russell Callaghan and Emma Palmantier and the Task Force. c) The study indicates that 23% of the 92 Aboriginal participants were found to be HIV positive, which is twice as much as the rate amongst non-Aboriginal people. This rate is apparently only higher in Edmonton versus the other seven cities studied so far. d) The final report has been done and available on the I-Track study website. e) Phase Two of this study will start as early as Spring 2012. 6. Youth Train-the-Trainers Aug to Oct 08 a) In the early part of Fall 2008 the Task Force hosted three regional training sessions. The youthorientated training material was developed and facilitated by Healing Our Spirit. The purpose of the three-day training session was to encourage peer dialogue, leadership, networking and capacity development. The participants also learned how to prepare, plan, and present training sessions in their community on HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention. b) NW Youth Train-the-Trainers Aug 08 i) Nine of the 27 North West First Nation communities sent their youth to this training session in Terrace from August 19-21, 2009. The facilitators were Bambi Tait, Jonathon Potskin, Reg Johnson and the guest speaker was Ronald Horsefall. The youth were interested in finding out about their sexual boundaries as well as learning that women gets tested for HIV/AIDS when they go in for pregnancy tests. There were 10 youth participants and 5 chaperones who completed the training. c) NE Youth Train-the-Trainers Oct 08 i) Four of the eight First Nation communities plus one Aboriginal organization sent their youth to Fort St. John from September 30 to October 3, 2008. The facilitators were Sue Anne Phillips and Sandy LaLonde. The Youth were very interested in finding out how HIV/AIDS can be transmitted. There was 8 youth participants who completed the training.

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d) CI Youth Train-the-Trainers Oct 08 i) Fifteen of the 31 First Nation communities were able to send their youth to Prince George from October 21-23, 2008 The facilitators were Anna Soole and Sidney Crosby. This session was unique as we combined two different regions together; the Northern Interior and Williams Lake. Since it was big it attracted the media and as a result our Chair, the facilitators and some youth participants were interviewed by various mediums including TV, radio and newspaper. The Youth were mainly concerned that their Youth Centres were shut down and they received the basic education about HIV/AIDS very interesting. There were 24 youth participants and 8 chaperones who completed the training. 7. Mobilizing HIV Feb 08 & Nov 08 a) The Mobilization of HIV/AIDS Programming is a five-day training session developed and facilitated by the Chee Mamuk Aboriginal Program, BC Centre for Disease Control. This threeperson team consists of: Melanie Rivers, Jada-Gabrielle Pape and Janine Stevenson. The Task Force hosted two sessions along with their corresponding two-day follow-up sessions in the Northern Interior and the North West. The purpose of the training was to help the participants to develop HIV/AIDS and STIs programming into their Aboriginal communities. b) Prince George Feb 08 i) Originally we were recruiting participants from the Northern Interior but because of the interest we broadened our range to the whole Task Force region. Of the 66 communities we had 17 communities send their members. This was a pilot session for this training program and it was the first time that the front-line workers were given an opportunity to network and discuss with their peers the problems they face in the community to deal with the issues around HIV/AIDS. They were very receptive to the training as it helped them deal with their clients that have been diagnosed with the disease. There were 23 participants who completed the training. c) Prince George Follow-Up Jan 09 i) Of the original 24 participants, 17 people came back for this two-day follow-up session. The participants identified that when they had two people from the same community that they felt more comfortable presenting in their communities. d) Terrace Feb 09 i) This training session was specifically for the North West, of the 27 First Nations 12 sent their community members. Charlotte Brooks was invited as the special guest-speaker. ii) The issues that were discussed included their communities not being ready to support HIV/AIDS programming. There is a lot of fear surrounding this disease as well as a lot of misunderstanding about how to get it. Another issue was that some mothers do not know that they are being tested for HIV/AIDS and there needs to be some type of disclosure so that they know what is being tested when they provide a blood sample to help couples to avoid surprises. There were 19 participants who completed the training. e) Terrace Follow-Up May 09. Of the 20 participants of the November session, 9 people came back, indicated by the asterisk*. Each one received a special gift called an outreach bag which is similar to an urban street nurse bag. The courier-type bags contained materials such as needles, mouthpieces, and condoms. Training was provided to demonstrate what should go into the bags and how to go about developing a program for its services. f) Williams Lake Mar 10 i) Of the 11 First Nations invited 9 First Nations sent health staff to the training. There were 19 participants who successfully completed the training.

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Williams Lake Follow-Up Sep 10 ii) Of the 20 original participants from the March training 10 came back. 8. Pre- & Post-Test Counselling Feb 09 a) This one-day workshop was facilitated by Linda Keefe, Northern Health that covered the following seven topics: HIV 101, Prevention of Transmission, Pre Testing, and Post Brief Overview, Roles of the non testing service provider for post tests, Community Resources, and Self Care/Debriefing. b) The participants learned the process that is involved when patients come in to get tested and what to expect when they receive their results. c) Fort St. John Feb 09 i) Five of the eight communities sent their front-line workers. The main recommendation for this training is that it be at least a full-day versus half a day. There were 7 participants who completed the training. d) Moricetown Feb 09 i) Eleven of the 27 communities sent their front-line workers to the workshop and 3 urban Aboriginal organizations. One recommendation from the session was to present more material. There were 23 participants who completed the training: 9. Youth & Chiefs Forum Jul 09 a) The Task Force was pleased to host the Youth and Chiefs Forum in partnership with the Carrier Sekani Family Services. The three-day event was held on July 6, 7, and 8, 2009 in Prince George, BC. b) Sixty-three (63) Youth and Chiefs from each of the four regions we serve which includes Williams Lake, North East, North West and Northern Interior. c) It has been four (04) years since the Task Force has been mandated to address the alarming rise in the number of Aboriginal people who have been newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The Task Force has been planning and wanting this forum for the past two years. d) The team who worked on this project include: Sara-Lynn Johnson, Youth Project Coordinator; Carmelita Abraham, Youth Program Assistant; and Helen Roberts, Office Assistant. The Carrier Sekani Family Services team included: Megan Hunt, Rosa Johnny, and Lisa DaSilva. Leadership was received from the Task Force and the Chair, Emma Palmantier. A final report was written. 10. Youth Video Project Aug to Oct 09 a) This video will feature communities who have been innovative with providing HIV/AIDS education, awareness and prevention initiatives. We picked eight youth to be trained to do a professional video and to take on interviewing community members. The video production trainers and facilitators are Harold C. Joe and Kendra Thomas of Visionkeepers Production. There were nine participants who completed the training. Three went on to do the filming. b) The communities that were featured included: Kitamaat Village Council, Lake Babine Nation and Nakazdli Band Council. The Prince George Needle Exchange, Fire Pit and the Mobilization Van were filmed and some people were interviewed. The film received an honourable mention at the2010 Cowichan Film Festival in their youth documentary category. 11. Youth Train-the-Trainers Follow Mar 10 a) The Task Force hosted this training and Positive Living North facilitated the additional training on HIV/AIDS education. We invited all 50+ youth participants from the 2008 sessions to provide a brief report of the types of programs that were developed in their communities. They shared their successes and challenges.

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b) They were also asked to judge the posters in our contest to promote awareness and prevention messages for HIV/AIDS, drugs/alcohol, and other contributing factors to youths risky behaviors. 12. Poster Contest 2010 a) We held a poster contest to promote awareness and prevention messages for HIV/AIDS, drugs/alcohol, and other contributing factors to youths risky behaviours. We received 28 entries which the Youth judges decided we should put into a calendar. We made one and it was distributed to the First Nation communities. 13. Community Readiness Project Sept 09 to Oct 11 a) The Chair and Program Coordinator visited 53 First Nations within the Task Force region to talk about HIV/AIDS and other related issues. The purpose of the visits is to find out where each community is at with respect to HIV/AIDS programs and services and how our office can assist. Additionally it will give the Chair an opportunity to meet the communities in their territory to develop partnerships and leadership strategies on the Provincial level. b) We will ask each First Nation community if we can meet with the Chief, Councillors, Health Directors, and Youth and Elders in a forum-type of setting to discuss their programs and other related issues such as Harm Reduction, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs) and Youth programs. We are looking forward to being out into the communities. c) The common themes that we have found so far is that the communities do not receive adequate budget to provide the HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention workshops as they would like. The money does not seem to factor in remoteness of the communities. There were a couple of communities where the health offices are willing to provide the support and education but that the communities are still in denial about the disease. 14. NW Leadership Training Feb 11 a) The Task Force co-hosted a two-day Leadership Forum with Chee Mamuk. Six Chief and 11 Band Councillors attended. The leaders had an opportunity to learn about HIV/AIDS and to get an update from various government programs about it. The Chair provided an opportunity for the leaders to ask questions directly with the funding agents and government stakeholders. Many leaders voiced their support for more HIV programs. b) The Chee Mamuk Aboriginal program developed a coffee table style book that has been distributed to all the North West communities. It features pictures of the eladers with their messages about HIV. c) The Northern Interior/North East Chiefs Forum is scheduled for November 28 & 29, 2011 in Vancouver invitations were sent via email and mail. 15. Community Engagement Regional Sessions 2011 a) The Task Force hosted 3 regional sessions to verify the finding in the Community Engagement report. The NW was held on March 2, 2011 in Prince Rupert; the North East on March 11, 2011 in Fort St. John; and the Northern Interior was on May 12, 2011. All of the findings were verified and more recommendations were provided by the participants. 16. Youth Workshops 2011 a) We received a grant from MCFD and the Northern Health Authority to hold three workshops in remote communities for the Youth. i) Skidegate Youth Workshop September 27, 2011 ii) Iskut/Telegraph Creek October 11, 2011 iii) Moricetown/Hagwilget TBA most likely in November 2011. October 2011 Page 5