Serving Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk
and Brant
Strategic Plan
2015-2020
We see a world without new infections, and a full and health life for people living
with or vulnerable to HIV.
TABLE OF CONTENTS_____________________________________________________
1. Vision, Mission, Values………………………………………………………………………………...3
2. Strategic Priorities……………………………………………..……………………………………......4
3. Appendix A: Glossary Terms………………………………………………………………….….….....9
2
1.
THE AIDS NETWORK MISSION, VISION AND VALUES____________
The AIDS Network Mission Statement
The AIDS Network responds to the impact of HIV on the health and wellbeing of individuals and
diverse communities in Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk and Brant.
The AIDS Network Vision Statement
We see a world without new infections, and a full and healthy life for people living with or
vulnerable to HIV.
The AIDS Network Values
1. The Ontario Accord as a statement of solidarity for People Living with HIV/AIDS and their
Allies: We strive to put people living with HIV and other intersecting health issues, and allies at
the centre of our work, and honour our commitment to the values of The Ontario Accord.
2. Excellence: We strive for excellence in everything we do, through evidence - based practice and
continuous learning.
3. Confidentiality: We respect the confidentiality and privacy of our service users, volunteers and
staff in all that we do.
4. Respect: We believe every human being is equally valuable and deserving of access to services
and care that is inclusive and without judgment.
5. Accountability: We are committed to acting with integrity in all we do and to being consistently
accountable to all of our stakeholders.
6. A Holistic Approach: We strive to support individuals with an approach that views health as
inclusive of mind, body, spirit, and the environment. We do our work through an understanding
of the social determinants of health.
7. Inclusion: We value the diversity of our clients, staff, board and volunteers and promote access
and equity using an anti-racism, anti-oppression framework.
8. Self-determination: We offer client centered services that build on the resiliency of individuals
and the communities we serve.
9. Sex positivity: We support individual choices around sex practices and believe that human
sexuality is an integral part of a healthy life.
10. Self-care: We endeavour to protect and nurture each other to live and work with selfcompassion.
3
2.
_STRATEGIC PRIORITIES___________________________________________
The AIDS Network Strategic Priorities
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1: Grow and build a sustained community led response to HIV: We will
ensure that our work is continually informed by the lived experience of those we serve according to The
Ontario Accord and the Greater and Meaningful Engagement of People Living with HIV/AIDS principle.
Objectives:
1. Create individual and social transformation by affirming the leadership and presence of HIV
positive people in all aspects of our work.
2. Recruit and support HIV positive people to lead and serve in our agency as volunteers and staff.
3. Focus on communities at greatest risk of acquiring HIV.
4. Support our allies through partnerships and collaborations that address a full range of needs,
based on a clear understanding of the role of social determinants of health and the importance of
physical and mental health in our work.
Implementation:
1. Recognize disclosure as a choice and create a safe and welcoming community for those who
choose to disclose their HIV status.
2. Develop a policy on HIV disclosure to help our clients, our agency and our allies to better deal
with a variety of circumstances, from telling family to telling potential sex partners and to
minimize the harm caused by inappropriate application of the criminal law.
3. Honour our values in our daily practice.
4. Work to increase membership and active engagement within The AIDS Network.
4
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2: Strengthen our strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts: We will
create new partnerships and build on existing partnerships, networks and collaborations in order to fulfill
our role in the continuum of engagement and care.
Objectives:
1. Ensure that our partnerships are formalized in writing where appropriate.
2. Participate actively on regional advisory committees in our catchment area.
3. Build on our work with other ASOs to ensure alignment with provincial strategies that address the
needs of our priority populations of African, Caribbean, Black, Aboriginal communities, people
who share needles and men who have sex with men.
4. Create social transformation to change negative attitudes toward HIV and other sexually
transmitted infections.
5. Build on our strong relationship with the Special Immunology Services Clinic (SIS).
6. Help clients to move more easily through health care and social services systems.
Implementation:
1. Work with our allies, including mental health, addictions, housing and employment to end the
stigma, isolation and social exclusion that often affect people living with HIV.
2. Provide capacity building workshops to increase our partners’ ability to serve the needs of people
living with HIV.
3. Work together to identify and achieve each person’s goals.
4. Increase the number of referrals and ensuring people are linked to and able to stay in appropriate
care.
5. Work to ensure that transportation to the SIS Clinic is improved for people living outside of
Hamilton.
5
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: Increase our ability to deliver excellence in Programs and Services: We
will work to ensure that our programs and services have the capacity and resources to address the needs of
the priority populations we serve.
Objectives:
1. Increase the availability of risk reduction services in all the communities we serve.
2. Develop social inclusion policies to ensure equitable participation.
3. Develop a peer mentorship program to support key volunteer positions within the agency.
Implementation:
1. Ongoing professional development for staff and key volunteers to increase their understanding of
the needs of our priority populations.
2. Monitoring and evaluation of our services by all stakeholders, including: Board, staff, clients,
members and partners.
3. Hold quarterly client lunches in Hamilton and each region as a way to gather feedback.
4. Gather feedback from bimonthly Regional Advisory Committee meetings held in our catchment
area.
6
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4: Develop effective communication strategies to increase the profile of The
AIDS Network: We will develop lively communication strategies through social media platforms to
engage our stakeholders, invite discussion on the impact of HIV and our work, and to ensure we are
receiving feedback in a timely fashion.
Objectives:
1. Develop a comprehensive communication strategy for The AIDS Network.
2. Focus our communication strategy on our priority populations and develop a strategy tailored to
their needs.
3. Provide regular updates to our website.
Implementation:
1. Challenge HIV-phobic perceptions and stigmatizing messages in the media.
2. Take full advantage of social media to meet people where they gather.
3. Ensure that our use of social media reaches and includes people at risk as part of our prevention
efforts.
4. Make sure that our use of social media is sex positive, respects confidentiality and reduces stigma
both in the general population and within the communities we serve.
5. Use evidence based information and plain language in all of our communication.
7
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5: Ensure the financial sustainability of our agency: We will work to ensure
that The AIDS Network has the financial and human resources needed to provide our Programs and
Services.
Objectives:
1. Develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
2. Ensure that our Board has the capacity it needs to make sound financial decisions.
Implementation:
1. Establish a Fundraising Committee of the Board and ensure we have the human resources
necessary to support fundraising efforts.
2. Work to ensure sustained funding for existing programs and to obtain increased funding to
enhance practical support and harm reduction programs.
3. Protect the ongoing stability of the agency through sufficient operating and reserve funds.
4. Ensure all Board members have training to read and understand financial statements.
5. Review financial policies and practices comprehensively.
8
3.
APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY TERMS __________________________________
TERM
The Ontario
Accord
DEFINITION
A statement of solidarity with GIPA/MEPA:
“We, people living with HIV/AIDS and allies in the community:
• Commit to the greater involvement and meaningful engagement of people living
with HIV/AIDS (GIPA/MEPA); GIPA/MEPA puts PHAs at the centre and is
grounded in human rights and the dignity of the full human being
• Aim to transform all who live with, work in, and are affected by, HIV/AIDS in
Ontario
• Commit to personal and social transformation
• Value community expertise in embracing the challenge for the betterment of
society
• Value inclusion over exclusion, a quest for integrity at all times and the
embodiment of self-determination
• Promote the evolution of thought, action and collaboration among us and with
our allies
Because GIPA/MEPA is about human struggles and aspirations - ethics, empowerment
and accountability are its foundation.” 1
We acknowledge that Greater Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) is never
achieved once and for all; it is a goal and commitment that must be continually renewed.
GIPA is a practice, not a project, and is similar to all other accountabilities of healthy
HIV organizing and service delivery. Our practices in AIDS service organizations
(ASOs) must be continually re-evaluated in light of the changing realities of HIV/AIDS
and of those living with it.
GIPA/MEPA
Acronym for: Greater Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS/Meaningful Engagement of
People with HIV/AIDS
Definition:
GIPA/MEPA is a principle that seeks to:
1. Recognize the important contribution people living with HIV/AIDS can make in
the response to the epidemic.
2. Create space within organizations and society for the meaningful involvement
and active participation of people living with HIV in all aspects of that response.
As a principle, GIPA/MEPA is inclusive of those affected by HIV/AIDS and may include
family, friends and caregivers.
1
http://ontarioaidsnetwork.on.ca/ontario-accord
9
PHA
Acronym for: Person living with HIV or AIDS
History: originated in Ontario and preferred to the US PWA or Person with AIDS as
AIDS is used to describe HIV disease that has become symptomatic.
Definition:
PHAs are not a single category of persons but include:
o Individuals who are positive and asymptomatic or experiencing
symptoms
o HIV status disclosed, undisclosed or partially disclosed
o May be positive but don’t know for certain
o Acquired HIV through different routes of transmission
Social
Determinants of
Health
The social determinants of health (SDH) are the social and economic factors that
influence people’s health. These are apparent in the living and working conditions that
people experience every day. The SDH influence health in many positive and negative
ways. Extreme differences in income and wealth, for example, have negative health
consequences for those who are living in poverty and these effects are magnified when
these people are congregated in poor regions. In contrast, those who are well off and
living in well off regions have better overall health. 2
ARAO
Acronym for: Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression
The Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression framework is a tool that allows us to see how people
experience oppression in the world and a way for us to stop it.
Oppression exists when one social group exploits (knowingly or unconsciously) another
social group to its own benefit. It results in privilege and advantage for the dominant
group and disempowerment for the subordinated group. It can be systemic - conscious or
unconscious policies and practices that exclude, marginalize or exploit racialized and
marginalized people. It can be institutional – built into the structure of our institutions in
a way that creates advantages for the dominant culture. It can be individual – related to
our own beliefs, attitudes and actions that support oppression, whether we realize it or
not.
(Anti-) oppression affects all of us and includes those who experience oppression as well
as those who experience privilege at some point or another. (Anti-) oppression identifies
the experiences of people based on their race, gender identity, sexual identity, physical
and mental ability, choice of religion, socio-economic background, physical appearance
and the list goes on. ARAO is a way to challenge how people may be treated based on
these identities, for example, when a person of colour experiences racism or a woman
experiences sexism. Such oppression often occurs in multiple layers.
Workshops conducted for staff at The AIDS Network give participants safe space and an
opportunity to explore questions of identity and power. ARAO teaches us to see the
world more thoughtfully by developing sensitivity to other people’s life experience and
teaching us to act with empathy rather than judgment.
2
http://www.cpha.ca/en/programs/social-determinants/frontlinehealth/sdh.aspx
10
Risk Reduction
Risk or Harm Reduction includes policies, programs and practices that aim to keep
people safe and minimize death, disease, and injury from high risk behaviour, especially
psychoactive substance use. Harm reduction recognizes that the high-risk behavior may
continue despite the risks.
Harm reduction involves a range of support services and strategies to enhance the
knowledge, skills, resources, and supports for individuals, families and communities to be
safer and healthier. (Health Link B.C.)
Risk reduction strategies enable and foster engagement with the health care system for
people who engage in risky practices whether related to sex or the use of drugs. 3
Cascade of
Engagement and
Care
3
The AIDS Network understands it has a key role to play in engagement and retention of
clients in care, with the goal of ensuring healthy outcomes.
http://www.ohsutp.ca/uploads/Harm_Reduction.pdf
11