Those living with HIV and AIDS in the Guelph area will now have greater access to services and care.
The Guelph Community Health Centre announced during its annual general meeting last Thursday that it received base funding from the province to the tune of $1 million.
The funding will be used to expand HIV as well as gender-affirming care services for people living with, at risk of and impacted by HIV/AIDS, including transgender, non-binary, and two-spirit individuals.
“It means we are able to bring in more wrap-around supports (for HIV patients),” said Melissa Kwiatkowski, CEO of Guelph CHC. “And also for people seeking gender-affirming care, we’re able to expand that programming as well.”
ARCH (HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health) merged HIV and gender-affirming health-care services with Guelph CHC back in April. Guelph CHC will oversee the clinical services while ARCH will continue to provide leadership on the delivery of social service programs and services, harm reduction and community development.
“We are thrilled that our efforts have been recognized and supported,” said ARCH executive director Jasper Smith. “It showcases the power of collaboration within and across organizations to create meaningful change and enable equitable access to the care needed for people to thrive.”
This announcement comes as the controversy surrounding gender-affirming care in Canada, the United States, and around the world continues to grow. Kwiatkowski said the issue has been politicized over the past several years and the community continues to be threatened. But she added that they have become more resilient as a result.
“Our hope, our real focus is just on the services that they are able to provide which they are very proud that they are able to do.”
In a news release, the organizations are expected to hear more details about the funding in the coming days. Kwiatkowski hopes that Guelph CHC’s collaboration with ARCH will be the start of bigger things.
“We’ve worked really hard to build a trusting partnership and look forward to doing more together.”