FRANCAIS

December 01, 2003

Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau today appointed Dr. Shannon McDonald to chair the final round table community review of the Aboriginal strategy on AIDS.

"This final part of the strategy development will provide clear goals, strategic directions and recommendations for policy makers, Aboriginal leaders, service providers, community members and others affected by HIV/AIDS throughout the province," said Rondeau. "The round table session will make sure the strategy reflects recently held community consultations and that input from Aboriginal leaders and communities is also included in the final document. I’m excited that Dr. McDonald has agreed to chair these proceedings."

Manitoba’s provincial AIDS strategy recognizes the special needs of Aboriginal people and identifies the presence of HIV/AIDS in the Aboriginal community as a priority.

McDonald works with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada and is currently completing her specialty training in community health. She currently co-chairs the board of directors of the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre in Winnipeg and is a member of the Citizen’s Equity Committee for the City of Winnipeg.

"I look forward to working with all the participants on this very important process," said McDonald. "It represents an exciting opportunity for the community to make sure their voices have been heard."

Participants in the round table discussions will include representatives from the Aboriginal leadership, community organizations and elders, regional health authorities, federal government departments, community service organizations and people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

"I want to thank everyone involved in the consultation process for their time and dedication to the creation of the Aboriginal strategy on AIDS," said Culture, Heritage and and Tourism Minister Eric Robinson, who is a member of the recently formed Aboriginal Issues Committee of Cabinet. "Through these efforts, we have developed strategic directions to help reduce the number of new cases of HIV infection, while providing care, treatment and support for those living with HIV/AIDS."

Rondeau noted that Manitoba Health supports several prevention programs on sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. These programs include:

• $80,000 in funding for a co-ordinator to help prevent, diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, in the Burntwood Regional Health Authority.
• Public health nurses in correctional facilities around the province who deliver culturally relevant sexually transmitted disease education and programming to offenders. Manitoba and New Brunswick are the only provinces providing public health nurses in correctional facilities.
• A new education campaign for youth on sexually transmitted diseases including accurate educational materials, information on region-specific issues and trends, and useable resources for youth across Manitoba. Manitoba Health partnered with Teen Talk to conduct provincewide youth consultations for this campaign.

Manitoba Health has also sponsored several educational initiatives. They include:

• the Canadian AIDS Society Annual Skills Building Symposium for which Manitoba Health provided scholarships to allow 10 HIV/AIDS workers and people with HIV/AIDS to attend and build skills in prevention, care and counselling support, treatment, human rights, legal ethical and policy issues, organizational and community development, community-based research, international action and rehabilitation;
• Uncensored II: Your Body, Your Life, a youth conference in partnership with Klinic Community Health Centre and Health Canada, a forum for education on sexually transmitted diseases, communication and positive self-esteem for youth; and
• the Swan Lake First Nation Youth Camp, dedicated to addressing issues related to healthy sexuality and positive self-esteem.

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The traditional view of health in Aboriginal cultures is holistic where the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the individual are taken into consideration. Factors such as the introduction of new diseases, residential schools and other socio-economic aspects have negatively affected the health of Aboriginal people, resulting in the loss of cultural identity, high unemployment rates and increasing disparities in health status.

HIV and AIDS are diseases that have been reported in rising numbers in the Aboriginal community. This creates serious concerns for the present and the future, as the majority of the Aboriginal population is young and growing quickly.

In 1996, Manitoba’s Provincial AIDS Strategy was launched, recognizing the special needs of Aboriginal people related to HIV/AIDS and noting that factors contributing to the enhancement of Aboriginal health and well-being must be addressed in a much broader context.

Through the extensive community, service provider and government consultations that have taken place and the work of the Aboriginal Working Group on HIV/AIDS, basic principles have been used in the development of this framework for the Aboriginal strategy on HIV/AIDS. These principles include consultation with those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, a description and analysis of the epidemiological data and recognition of the determinants of health.

Demographic research and a review of HIV/AIDS within the Aboriginal population in Canada has been undertaken, providing context for the Manitoba experience. Factors such as poverty, lack of education, high unemployment rates and limited access to health care may make it more difficult for some Aboriginal people to make informed and healthy choices, placing them at greater risk for HIV infection.

The strategy explores why the rate of HIV infection among Aboriginal people is increasing by studying the determinants of health which can, by their presence or absence, enhance or worsen issues related to HIV/AIDS. The determinants of health include income, social status, social support networks, education, health services, personal health practices and coping skills, healthy child development, employment and working conditions, physical environments, biology and genetic endowment, gender and culture.

The principles of Manitoba’s Provincial AIDS Strategy and the Provincial Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Strategy, along with ideas and direction from the focus groups, are supported in the Aboriginal strategy on HIV/AIDS. Experiences and epidemiology are combined to identify priority target populations, including injection drug users, men who have sex with men and others.

Four strategic goals complimentary to Manitoba’s Provincial AIDS Strategy have been identified and provide a focus for programming and service efforts in the Aboriginal strategy on HIV/AIDS. These goals include prevention and education, care, treatment and support, co-ordination of services and research.

The increasing human, fiscal and social costs for persons infected with HIV/AIDS in Canada has led to the realization that the only way to effectively address this preventable disease calls for a co-ordinated approach from various levels of government, Aboriginal leadership, regional health authorities and service organizations.

The findings described in the document indicate the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in the Aboriginal population and the need for a co-ordinated response from all levels of government, Aboriginal leadership, service providers and those at the community level to effectively address this preventable disease.

The recommendations are derived from the Aboriginal Working Group on HIV/AIDS and community consultations and provide strategic direction for policies and programs related to HIV/AIDS among Aboriginal people.

Collaboration with partners including Health Canada, the regional health authorities, Manitoba communities and Aboriginal peoples will allow us to develop and support these recommendations. The response to the recommendations will be most effective when everyone involved participates in all aspects of planning and implementation.

As Aboriginal people work towards self-determination, it is an opportune time to draw on the strengths of existing partnerships and build new ones.