Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

The number of Canadians living with chronic infections such as HIV and HCV is on the rise. Several key population groups (including immigrants and certain ethnocultural communities) are at a 5-10 times higher risk of being HIV and/or HCV seropositive. Additionally, people affected by HIV and HCV often experience barriers to receiving adequate care and services, which negatively affects their health and well-being. This application seeks to advance the conversation pertaining to the infectious disease screening of immigrants to Canada; in particular the lack of screening process for Hepatitis C (HCV). As a point of reference, the research team will use the success of the current HIV screening process to guide the conversation. Related HCV treatments and research activities in Canada will also be examined. Specifically, the research objectives are: A.To build partnerships between researchers, clinicians, immigrants with lived experience, community organizations and government policy makers in an effort to advance the topic of HCV screening for immigrants to Canada; B.To develop new HCV-specific recommendations and guidelines for screening and treatment of immigrants to Canada; and C.To facilitate knowledge translation and exchange.