Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grants - Institute/Initiative Community Support

Our Rapid TLC program is looking to launch with a network of health navigators (community health representatives - CHRs) spread out into northern, remote and isolated locations in Alberta with a partnership with Kimamow Atoskanow Foundation (KAF). KAF has been instrumental in building capacity of CHRs in the region, and there is need and interest to continue doing so. In collaboration with KAF we will train 10-12 CHRs (health navigators) to test, link and connect the most underserved populations in Alberta to conduct point-of-care testing, followed by confirmatory testing in outreach community settings and situations where people do not feel comfortable entering into the health system in the usual way due to previous unpleasant experiences (e.g., structural racism, discrimination, homophobia). Health navigators are important because they are familiar with cultural contexts in their communities, are trusted knowledgeable sources who can be equipped to go out into communities where they have or will build relationships and offer testing and care in culturally appropriate ways to those who need it the most. This symposium to build off our success with our Ayaangwaamiziwin Initiative and set the stage to start our Rapid TLC program. We will provide capacity building and training for all the health navigators with regards to pre and post test counselling, use of the point of care screening tests, and training from the National Microbiology Laboratory to use the GeneXpert machines. We will also discuss the current healthcare crises in the Prairies, and come up with solutions that could be implemented to reduce the number of cases of HIV and other STBBIs. Our proposed symposium will be focused on work that needs to be done with our community-based partners to train health navigators, to bridge the gaps to care and then to scale the project to reach the most underserved.