New money for HIV screenings could help 'remove barriers,' says Reseau Access Network

It's a long-awaited answerto a call made by community organizations for more than a decade.On Monday, the Canadian government announced it's putting $18 million toward the expansion of HIV screeningsin Canada.

The announcement came out of the 24th International Aids Conference in Montreal, which wrapped up on Tuesday.

It follows calls put forward by a coalition of HIV organizations for a boost to federal spending on HIV, from $73 million to $100 million annually.

About $8 millionwill be allocated to purchasing self-testing kits and distributing them to community organizations across the country. The other $9.9 million will go to theNational Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipegforexpansionof HIV testing innorthern, remoteor isolated (NRI) communities.

They won't have to travel many hours away to get testing.Angl Riess, education and communications co-ordinator

Angl Riess is the education and communications co-ordinator with Rseau Access Network in Sudbury. She saidthe news is significant for both community organizations and the people they serve especially in the far reaches of the country.

"The federal government has committed to removing barriers, really," she said.

"There are systemic barriers to accessing HIV testing which include stigma and discrimination in a lot of health care settings and AIDS service organizations as well as HIV self-testing helps remove some of those barriers."

The Canadian governmentestimatesthere are nearly 63,000 people living with HIV in Canada, and onein 10 of those aren't aware they have the virus.

Health Canadaapproved the first HIV self-test in late 2020. It'sa one-minute, finger-prick blood test from Richmond, B.C.,companybioLytical Laboratories Inc.

According to a release put out by the federal government, the funds are also meant to help expedite diagnostics within communities, in that specimens can be tested on location and don'thave to be sent elsewhere.

The Canadian governmentsaidit's also aiming to apply lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to HIV/AIDS.

"During the pandemic, COVID-19 molecular testing was implemented in health facilities in First Nations communities across Canada to enhance access to testing and improve turnaround times for results. The 'testing close to home'option is critical for equitable access to testing and for closing the gap in testing capacity in remote communities," the government said, in a release.

According to Riess, self-testing kits will make a substantial difference for people inremote communities and could possibly increase the number of people who get tested.

"Bringing that same model to HIV testing will be beneficial because people will be able to access it from anywhere. They won't have to travel many hours away to get testing," Reiss said.

She added that Rseau Access Network in Sudbury is already a self-testing pick-up location, in partnership with the I'm Ready to Know program. Should a member of the community test positive for HIV, Reseau Access Network is prepared to connect them with the care they require.