Antiracism
We stand in solidarity with efforts to fight for equal rights and end discrimination. While we have been proud to break down barriers to accessing HIV prevention and care – especially among marginalized groups – we are committed to strive to do more.
Ready to do what's right.
Firstly, it is incumbent upon those who can afford to financially support initiatives to go beyond a post or lip service. Since launching over one year ago we have invested in the community over $25,000 to HIV/AIDS organizations all across the province that support diverse communities in Ontario.
This includes organizations with dedicated support to Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour and LGBTQ+ BIPOC, like Rainbow Railroad, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Black Lives Matter, Toronto Latino Positivos, Asian Community AIDS Services, and Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS strategy.
(For suggestions on local organizations to support in the future please reach to out us.)
Services That Drive Change
Our current service offerings aim to break down barriers to people who have had access gaps in HIV care due to systemic racism.
Individuals can come to our clinic for assessment, treatment, and testing without the need of an Ontario health card. Through this we have helped many visitors and new Canadians who would otherwise go without care. We do not receive government support for our services, and this is proudly sponsored by our pharmacy.
Our multilingual team provides care in a variety of languages including: Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese, Cantonese, and French. If an additional language translation is needed, we hire translators to assist with patient interactions.
As the original province-wide PrEP Clinic we were the first to break down barriers to accessing HIV prevention across Ontario. This allows for people in under-serviced communities to access us remotely while receiving high quality care. Over 90% of our patients would not be on PrEP if not for our service. Since launching we have inspired other new online services that are also reaching more & more people.
With our PrEPSaver program we have ensured most of our patients do not pay anything out of pocket for their medication. Since opening we have collectively saved patients over $120,000 on PrEP. We have also provided free vaccinations, emergency PEP, and free PrEP to many patients while navigating coverage options.
We were proud to support Pride activities last summer with #WhatPrideMeansToYou. Online Pride events were held that embraced respect, inclusiveness, and gave a platform for a highly diverse group of LGBTQ+ artists to show their talents and raise their voices.
We provide free condom and naloxone shipping across the province to ensure individuals without direct access to these can easily get them. In addition, patients have access to free accessible counselling services with our social worker Randall.
We have strived to reach people where they are. This has included interacting with patients through text, email, phone, Whatsapp, Grindr, Scruff, through DMs on our social channels, and in-person. Our team is also available 7 days a week until midnight to ensure no matter someone’s work or life schedule they can still access quality care.
A one-size-fits-all approach to HIV care does not work. In practice we have found distrust of healthcare professionals due to past negative experiences and concerns related to discretion. Providing an online pathway to services helps to navigate some of these concerns. Our on-site location is a more personal and private location on the fourth floor of a quiet office building. Through this we have been able to provide testing to many people for the first time (or first time in a while) and support higher risk individuals to access PrEP who would otherwise not be on it.
HIV education and service awareness are essential for everyone. We are mindful that PrEP has historically been heavily targeted towards gay white cis males. Through our efforts with our PrEP For Women Campaign we aim to address the realities that 1 in 4 new HIV infections are in women and the disproportionate impact on women of colour. We have included crucial organizations like Women’s HIV/AIDS Initiative and Maggie’s Place in our community investment.
You can also learn more on our PrEP for Women page.