Annual Report 2012-2013 by AIDSVanIsle

ANNUAL REPORT 2012 – 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS...............................................................................................................................................................................3 THE END OF AIDS: REPORT FROM KATRINA JENSEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.................................................................................4 MY LIFE AS A CHAIR! A MESSAGE FROM ANDREW BECKERMAN, CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.........................................................................................................................................................5 HARM REDUCTION SERVICES ........................................................................................................................................................................6 WHY INSITE WON...............................................................................................................................................................................................6 SUPER QUEEROS: PRIDE IN VICTORIA.........................................................................................................................................................7 WORLD HEPATITIS DAY EVENTS ACROSS THE ISLAND ..........................................................................................................................8 QUEERPOSIUM...................................................................................................................................................................................................9 POSITIVE WOMEN EXPOSING INJUSTICE....................................................................................................................................................9 VOLUNTEERS MATTER: VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY IN VICTORIA.................................................................................... 10 DR. MONTANER IN COMOX.......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK TO HIV TREATMENT AND CARE................................................................................... 11 AIDS WALK IN NANAIMO............................................................................................................................................................................... 12 WORLD AIDS DAY 2012................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 WE ARE HERE................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 PWP CHRISTMAS CLIENT LUNCH IN VICTORIA....................................................................................................................................... 15 5TH ANNUAL ROCK YOUR AWARENESS @ LOGAN’S PUB..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 IN OUR OWN WORDS: LEANNE CUNNINGHAM (AVI CAMPBELL RIVER) ON THE PERSON WHO HELPED HER KNOW SHE WANTED TO WORK IN THE AIDS MOVEMENT............................................................................................................................................................................... 16 NUTRITION AS HARM REDUCTION............................................................................................................................................................. 17 AVI IN THE NEWS............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 EDUCATION @ AVI........................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 IN OUR OWN WORDS: TOM FENTON (AVI PORT HARDY) ON HIV TESTING ON RESERVE..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 DINING OUT FOR LIFE.................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 BEER & BURGER NIGHT IN NANAIMO........................................................................................................................................................ 20 THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS................................................................................................................................................................... 21 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.............................................................................................................................................................................. 22 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 22 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012-2013............................................................................................................................................................ 23 AVI MISSION AND VISION.............................................................................................................................................................................. 23

N H G V S C O

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

888 159

NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND LIVING WITH HIV IN 2012

NUMBER OF NEW HIV DIAGNOSES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, FROM 2008 TO 2012

PERCENTAGE OF CASES IN B.C. IN 2012 IN WHICH HIV TRANSMISSION CAUSED BY:

63 22 12

GAY, BISEXUAL CONTACT

HETEROSEXUAL CONTACT

INTRAVENOUS-DRUG USE

3.4/100,000

4.2/100,000

RATE OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND IN 2012

RATE OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, FROM 2008 TO 2012

$15,600 $500,000 ANNUAL COST OF HAART ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT

LIFETIME COST OF HAART ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT

Sources: B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Statistics Canada, Vancouver Island Health Authority and B.C. Centre for Disease Control, B.C. Women’s Hospital & Health Centre Foundation

NANAIMO FIRST NATIONS & ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES HARM REDUCTION EDUCATION COURTENAY HEPATITIS GAY & BISEXUAL MEN PORT HARDY WOMEN HOUSING VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PRISONERS YOUTH-AT-RISK STIGMA EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE CRIMINALIZATION CAMPBELL RIVER HIV/AIDS COMMUNIT Y DEVELOPMENT OVERDOSE SEXUAL HEALTH & WELLNESS AWARENESS 3

THE END OF AIDS: REPORT FROM KATRINA JENSEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The End of AIDS. It’s often seen as a lofty goal. Thirty years into a relentless epidemic that still has no cure, is The End of AIDS a real possibility? Well, infections worldwide are falling and more and more people have access to life-saving treatment. Last year in BC the lowest record of new HIV infections was recorded. Testing saves countless lives and millions of new infections are prevented every year through the use of condoms and clean needles. The implementation of “treatment as prevention” may yet ensure the expansion of treatment to every single person who needs it. Let there be no doubt, lives will be saved. But the end of AIDS really means putting an end to the conditions that create ill-health and injustice—the fuel that continues to drive the epidemic? It will have to mean an end to the pervasive stigma and discrimination. An end to those diseases and conditions that rub shoulders with HIV, like hepatitis C. An end to the criminalization of people who use drugs, and people living with HIV. The End of AIDS would mean a world where every single person living with HIV can stand up and speak without fear, where disclosure is always met with compassion and support.

Here on Vancouver Island, another year has passed in the world of AVI. I am in my 15th year at this organization and I feel so very blessed to still be here. When people ask me where I work and I say AVI a common response is “That must be so hard”. Well, yes, watching people die from largely preventable causes is heart breaking. But mostly AVI has and continues to be an experience that is both inspiring and humbling. Some of the first positive people I met continue to model surviving and thriving. Our departing Board Chair, Andrew Beckerman has spent his tenure as a tenacious advocate for the power of story to change hearts and minds. Our clients, who show courage and hope through the simple act of walking through our doors, looking for a condom or a clean needle or simply someone to talk to. Our volunteers, including our Board of Directors, who not only contribute countless hours, but also act as our ambassadors in the community. I am honoured to see the simple kindnesses shown again and again by our staff in the delivery of our services. And it has truly been my pleasure to work with the many allies we have across Vancouver Island who play a powerful role in advocating for our work.

Katrina Jensen, Executive Director of AVI

And so I am immensely privileged to be part of a team and a community that doesn’t just work on HIV or hepatitis C prevention, harm reduction and support but who are actively creating a just and healthy society where everyone belongs and is welcome. So will we see the End of AIDS? All rhetoric aside, it’s an oft repeated maxim in our work that we are trying to do ourselves out of a job. Let’s believe we can get there and let’s get back at it.

MY LIFE AS A CHAIR! A MESSAGE FROM ANDREW BECKERMAN, CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS I began my career at AVI helping one individual person. My first job as an AVI volunteer was comforting a young addict trying to dial the mobile needle exchange. My association with AVI, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedicated staff, volunteers, and my fellow clients, each of whom has a powerful inspirational story to tell , has given me a first class education in harm reduction and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pivotal place in public health policy and the well-being of our community.

I am honoured to be the first openly HIV+ Board chair in recent memory and that I will be succeeded by HIV+ leadership. Good on us to so quickly embrace integration of our HIV+ support and harm reduction efforts with service for those dealing w/ HCV. My disappointments are few: I have not been given the opportunity to engage with our major supporter, VIHA in a meaningful way. Nor have I been allowed to constructively challenge VIHA so it does a better job within its financial resources to help our clients.

AVI, the land of opportunity! I began as phone volunteer and outreach speaker, matured to board member, co-chair and graduate as chair of our effective, compassionate organization.

Sadly, I have also had to watch a constant march of my fellow clients and their friends die.

Infected for 34 years, my life has tracked the history of HIV in North America. As one of the public faces of AVI, I have been able to tell my story to peers, co- workers, funders, audiences across Canada, and the residents of our community. I speak for my HIV+ peers who perhaps cannot. I do it to reduce stigma and its heartless, harmful results which we sadly continue to face.

I will wind down my leadership role at AVI, again helping one individual person. Through an AVI speaking opportunity, I met a person struggling with many of the issues that haunt our clients. I have offered him three months of transitional housing which I hope may be part of his path to a life of choice and opportunity. That brings me full circle in my career at AVI, helping people, one at a time, to succeed in this life, however they define it.

Andrew Beckerman, Chair

I am proud that we have a strong diverse board of directors including 4 HIV+ (one co-infected w/ HCV) members.

HARM REDUCTION SERVICES The incidence of overdose in Victoria presented a sense of loss to our harm reduction teams working with people who use drugs in Victoria and across the island. An unprecedented number of our clients have passed away unexpectedly due to overdose deaths in the past year. On August 31st we commemorated International Overdose Awareness Day with our partners in the community. Overdose Awareness Day was also an opportunity to advocate for increased harm reduction services in Victoria. We continued to partner with SOLID in Victoria to deliver Street College, which is a transformative education program for people who use(d) drugs. This year we had more participants at street college than ever with over 100 participants.

WHY INSITE WON

North America’s only supervised injection site was the topic of discussion at a community forum hosted by AVI in Victoria, the Society for Living Illicit Drug Users (SOLID), and Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group (VIPIRG). The event, moderated by Gregor Craigie of CBC Radio’s On the Island featured key speakers who were instrumental to the successful Supreme Court of Canada challenge which kept the lifesaving facility from being shut down.

STREET COLLEGE PARTNERED WITH THE EDUCATION TEAM AT AVI TO DELIVER ESSENTIALS WORKSHOPS ABOUT HIV, HEP C, HARM REDUCTION, LEADERSHIP AND MORE. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE DEMAND THAN SPACES AT STREET COLLEGE INDICATING THE POPULARITY OF THE COURSE IN THE COMMUNITY.

SUPER QUEEROS: PRIDE IN VICTORIA We had a blast showing our pride on the streets of Victoria this year with Vancouver Island PWA Society & VARCS (Victoria AIDS Resources & Community Service Society). Celebrating the vibrancy of our communities and marching in the parade as the Super Queeros, and demonstrating against the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in our communities!

WORLD HEPATITIS DAY EVENTS ACROSS THE ISLAND

From Spirit Square in Campbell River to Centennial Square in Victoria and points in between, our staff, community partners and volunteers sought to raise awareness about hepatitis C. Knowing your status and getting tested is as important for hep C as it is for HIV. At AVI we are eager to continue the work with our partners to educate about hep C treatment, co-infection with HIV and access to testing information.

QUEERPOSIUM Engaging the community through performance, workshops activities and direct action was the theme of two ‘Queerposium’ events held in Victoria through in 2012-2013. In an effort to continue to understand the changing landscape of gay men’s health, AVI hosted two “Gay Men’s Health Update” events with presentations from Vancouver’s Health Initiative for Men and the Disease Control presented on the current state of gay men’s health in BC and Vancouver Island.

POSITIVE WOMEN EXPOSING INJUSTICE In partnership with the Canadian HIV/ AIDS Legal Network, AIDS Vancouver Island cohosted a film screening of the movie, Positive Women: Exposing Injustice about the harms associated with the criminalization of the non-disclosure of HIV. A few months later the film was also screened with our partners at North Island College in Courtenay. From L to R: Jessica Whitbread, AVI board chair Andrew Beckerman & executive director Katrina Jensen, with Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network’s Kimahli Powell & executive director Richard Elliott

VOLUNTEERS MATTER: VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY IN VICTORIA Volunteers were treated to dinner, entertainment and a chance to dress up in wigs and boas! AVI held our annual volunteer appreciation party in Victoria in October 2012 at Floyd’s Diner. Many of our most active volunteers have at some time in their lives accessed our services – now choosing to give back in a very real way. Volunteers donated the equivalent of 7 full time employees in time, energy and passion.

176 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS ACROSS VANCOUVER ISLAND. EVERY ONE OF THEM DIRECTLY SUPPORTING OUR VISION OF A WORLD FREE OF HIV AND HCV.

DR. MONTANER IN COMOX The BC Centre for Excellence’ Director Dr. Julio Montaner presented in Courtenay to over 40 physicians on the benefits of treatment as prevention. The North Island STOP HIV Collaborative with key community partners: North Island Liver Services, Public health, Infectious disease specialists & Mental Health. The collaborative has been a huge success connecting people living with HIV to treatment and care within their own communities.

L to R: Leanne Cunningham (AVI Campbell River), Sarah Sullivan (AVI Courtenay & Campbell River), Dr. Julio Montaner (Director, BC Centre for Excellence), Katrina Jensen (AVI Executive Director) Tom Fenton (AVI Port Hardy)

CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK TO HIV TREATMENT AND CARE “I did have a young couple with HIV, that started out really, really rough. They had their kids taken away. You know, harsh alcoholism, in and out of jail. And these guys were young when I met them, they were 25 or so and now they’re like 30 something. They went through hard times, they kept getting court ordered to go to counselling, they didn’t want to go to counselling. They were like, “Tom why can’t you be our counsellor? ”, well, I am not technically a counsellor. I am just

here all the time. Now they have their shit together. They’re taking control of their HIV. They go down-island to see the HIV specialist. They get all that stuff, whereas at the beginning I had to hand hold them thru all that stuff, really encourage them to get their bloods done. Now they just do it. Now I can tell when they walk around they look more confident, they’re not drinking any more or hardly at all. You know, they have a good chance of getting their kids back and up here it’s not easy

to get your kids back once you’ve lost them. So, they’re doing really good now. So, I am pretty proud of those guys.” —Tom Fenton, Health Promotion and Harm Reduction Worker, AVI Port Hardy

AIDS WALK IN NANAIMO

Our 2012 AIDS Walk in Nanaimo was one of the best ever attended with community partners, funders and friends joining us in Maffeo Sutton Park. We were thrilled to have all three levels of government attending the event including Mayor John Rattan, MLA Leonard Krog and MP Jean Crowder.

WORLD AIDS DAY 2012

World AIDS Day occurs every year on December 1st and is an opportunity to commemorate those we’ve lost and reflect on the work ahead. Getting to zero new HIV infections became a closer reality with the lowest number of new HIV infections ever recorded in British Columbia.

Unfortunately the work of getting to zero HIV-related stigma continued to present a challenge. Throughout AIDS Awareness Week (the week leading up to World AIDS Day) and Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week which occurs the week following December

1st AVI marked events across the island. In Nanaimo our annual client dropin is a unique opportunity for clients, partners and friends to get together and commemorate those we’ve lost. In Victoria the We Are Here Project & Rock Your Awareness marked another World AIDS Day were we aimed to get to zero.

WE ARE HERE

In collaboration with our community partners, the Vancouver Island PWA Society, VARCS (Victoria AIDS Resources & Community Service Society) and the Greater Victoria Public Library the “We are Here” project sought to address stigma through story telling. Story boards were written by eight people living with HIV in Victoria and placed in the foyer of the downtown branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library.

Gearing up to bust HIV-related stigma through story telling. This group of eight presenters orated to an engaged crowd of supporters at the downtown branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library during AIDS Awareness Week in 2012.

PWP CHRISTMAS CLIENT LUNCH IN VICTORIA

Our Positive Wellness Christmas Client Lunch in Victoria served up a warm holiday meal for our clients in mid-December. Throughout the year our Positive Wellness Program in all of our offices provide a safe stigmafree space to connect for short term counselling sessions, a warm beverage and in Victoria a hot meal. Our holiday meal is a chance to celebrate our clients in a festive way.

L to R: Kristen Kvakic (Director of Programs) Mike Kalinka (AVI Board of Directors) and Bob Clark (AVI Board of Directors)

5TH ANNUAL ROCK YOUR AWARENESS @ LOGAN’S PUB

Ball Gag N’ Chain, Hearse and Double Platinum rocked all night long on World AIDS Day, helping us bust stigma and raise awareness. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the event.

IN OUR OWN WORDS: LEANNE CUNNINGHAM (AVI CAMPBELL RIVER) ON THE PERSON WHO HELPED HER KNOW SHE WANTED TO WORK IN THE AIDS MOVEMENT “Early in my career, I was put in the path of an HIV positive male, who I was asking

AT EACH OF AVI’S FIVE LOCATIONS, IN 2012-2013 WE PROVIDED

a series of 12 questions. He didn’t feel that

he could finish the interview. He stood up and he left the building and was clearly upset. As I was leaving for the day, he was sitting outside on the sidewalk and I approached him he was crying and I sat beside him and asked what was going on with him and he felt that he was not worthy to sit there and answer questions about himself because he felt he didn’t matter. He got up to leave and I asked him if I could hug him. He started shaking and told me that nobody had touched him for 5 years. So I hugged him and hugged and hugged him. And that was the beginning of a very positive and solid relationship before he passed away from AIDS.”

7,382 SHORT-TERM GOAL ORIENTED COUNSELLING AND

SUPPORT SESSIONS TO PEOPLE FACING SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES RELATED TO THEIR HEALTH STATUS.

NUTRITION AS HARM REDUCTION

Whether it was a weekly lunch with Tom at “Family Place” in Port Hardy , Sarah and Jeanette in the ‘Hep C Kitchen’ in Courtenay or our daily hot lunch program cooked by Gill in Victoria, all across the island AVI provides highprotein and nutrient rich food to people who are living with HIV and hep C.

AVI IN THE NEWS

Last year, AVI had just over 100 interactions with print, digital, television and radio news media from across Vancouver Island, BC and Canada. Our media partners are crucial in helping us inform the community about our work and in advocating for on the myriad of health and social issues touched by HIV and hepatitis C.

EDUCATION @ AVI ACROSS VANCOUVER ISLAND AVI DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN

60,000 SAFER SEX Whether it’s teaching the basics of HIV transmission in schools, reducing stigma on reserve or presenting about harm reduction at a provincial conference, AVI’s educational activities continues to use the best evidence available to inform the public about the social and scientific aspects of HIV and hepatitis C.

INFORMATION PACKS WITH CONDOMS AND LUBE. IN 2012-2013 OUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED A TOTAL OF

1,226

EDUCATION SESSIONS TO OVER

37,337 INDIVIDUALS.

IN OUR OWN WORDS: TOM FENTON (AVI PORT HARDY) ON HIV TESTING ON RESERVE “One thing I am really proud of is the Blood Parties that we do now. They’re starting to catch on. I think we’ve done three or four on the reserves around Port Hardy. We make it sort of like a community celebration about health and well-being, and try to time it around something like Valentine’s Day. We have dinner and door prizes. We have different community groups who each have a booth with information. Each person gets a health passport and they have to go to so many booths and they get stamps and then they put their name in for the door prize. And you can also get your blood tested there, talk to a nurse about birth control, anything you want. That helps get rid of the stigma cause people say: “Oh, I am really just going to get dinner and maybe just a door prize, all this other stuff, is just hoops I have to jump through, right?” So no one says “Oh, you have the AIDS”. So they’re great. So at one place, and this might sound like a low number in some places but at one Blood Party we got over 40 tests in one evening. I am sure for a city that’s nothing, but for up here that’s huge. The youth on one of the reserves actually do all of the promotion for the event, they text their friends, get everyone out there, make posters, one kid drew a design for t-shirts last year.” —Tom Fenton, Health Promotion and Harm Reduction Worker, AVI Port Hardy

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

This year, Dining Out For Life occurred on April 25th (just a few weeks after the close of our 2012-2013 fiscal year). Nonetheless, the 2013 event was a big success, again growing beyond our expectations. With over 87 restaurants participating in DOFL across the Island in 2013 (a significant increase from the 67 taking part in 2012) helping, along with over 600 donors, to increase our revenues for the event by 36%!

Dining Out For Life #doflvi

In Victoria, MLA Carole James and Mayor Dean Fortin assembled for Breakfast to support Dining Out For Life at one of our participating restaurants.

Join us on April 25TH supporting When you dine at a participating restaurant on April 25, 25% of your food bill will be donated to AIDS Vancouver Island. Making a difference never tasted so delicious.

aidsvancouverisland

www.DiningOutForLife.com

BEER & BURGER NIGHT IN NANAIMO Imagine how a small group of dedicated individuals working to improve the lives of people living with HIV could raise more nearly $30,000 from hosting small local events for the AIDS Walk in Nanaimo. Now imagine that in less than a decade that amount was doubled to $60,000 with matching funds from the MAC AIDS Fund. This is exactly what a group of employees, working at the MAC Counter in Nanaimo, accomplished. Their legendary â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beer & Burgerâ&#x20AC;? Night took place in early September at the Old City Station Pub with proceeds benefitting AVI in Nanaimo.

THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Assets

Support and Revenue

Cash

631,681

Health Authority

Accounts Receivable

102,879

Federal Government

287,150

United Way

162,418

Fixed Assets, Net

1,683,486

Other Assets

9,250

Total Assets

2,427,296

1,468,198

Provincial Government

94,000

MAC AIDS Fund

75,000

Donations and Sponsorship

27,431

Liabilities and Net Assets

Other

61,282

Liabilities

Total Support and Revenue

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities Mortgages and Lines of Credit

2,175,479

137,161 95,470

Expenses

Advances and Deferred

1,882,799

Salaries and Benefits

Total Liabilities

2,115,430

Rent and Office Expenses

235,359

Program Materials

151,862

Net Assets Unrestricted Restricted Total Net Assets

Meetings, Honoraria and Travel 304,363 7,503 311,866

Amortization Other Total Expenses

1,597,847

83,761 9,487 54,909 2,133,225 42,254

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

2,427,296

Net Operations from Joint Venture Excess of revenue over expenses

3,348 45,602

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012-2013

Charlene Anderson

Member at Large

Dennis Ano

Member at Large

Andrew Beckerman

Chair

Frank Buruma

Executive Member

Bob Clark

Member at Large

Dylan Collins

Member at Large

Lisa Cowan

Secretary

Brett Harper

Member at Large

Mike Kalinka

Treasurer

Lena Locher

Member at Large

Herb Neufeld

Executive Member

Will Nikl

Member at Large

AIDS Vancouver Island serves the needs of people infected and affected by HIV and hepatitis C. We take evidence-based action to prevent infection, provide support and reduce stigma.

Charlotte Reading

Member at Large

Vision

AVI MISSION AND VISION Mission

Our Vision is of a world free of HIV and hepatitis C. Until that time, those most at risk in our community continue to be marginalized窶馬ot only by their disease, but also by stigma and discrimination, poverty and despair. As we fight these diseases, we join with those we serve to provide services based on consideration and respect and to provide visibility and a voice in the community.