Read the full report “HIV care cascade in Ontario: Linkage to care, in care, on antiretroviral treatment, and virally suppressed”  Bob Leahy: Thanks for talking to PositiveLite.com. Tell us about the good news that’s contained in the report. OHTN: There’s lots of good news in the report! First of all, the report represents the first large knowledge exchange product released by the Ontario HIV Surveillance and Epidemiology Initiative (OHESI). This is a new collaboration responsible

Bob Leahy: Hi again Barry. Tell us about your route you will be travelling this time.  Barry Haarde: After completing five trans-continental tours in the U.S., including last year’s 5,000 mile trek from Seattle to Key West in 60 days, we decided to change things up a bit and ride the length of the Alaska Highway. The ride starts at “Mile 0” of the AlCan route in Dawson Creek, B.C. and tracks northwest in to Alaska, finishing near Fairbanks. Then, I’ll be riding an additional 650 mile

It’s a pleasure chatting with CATIE’s Laurie Edmiston. She is frank, knowledgeable, speaks with conviction – and generous with both her time and opinions. I asked her this week for her opinion on three topics crucial to where we are in the response to HIV at this time. I asked her about CATIE’s decision to endorse U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) earlier this year and CATIE’s ongoing role in providing information and resources around that topic. I asked her about the status of t

Bob Leahy: Hi Ed. Why don’t I start by asking you why you contacted me? Ed Argo: Many reasons. I’m a person that has lived and lives with mental health issues such as chronic depression, acute anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and I’ve been thinking about how this connects with GIPA (greater involvement of people living with HIV) and people living with HIV working in AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs). I’m a great believer in Ontario’s Positive Development Leadership Institu

Bob Leahy: Thanks for talking to PositiveLite.com first of all. I really appreciate it. Now tell me why you wanted to talk to me, Eric. Eric Cashmore: This is something I had to consider very carefully Bob. Just a couple of weeks ago I had a talk with my employer where I was being very public within my office, and I realized I had started to cause distress amongst people around me talking so openly about my addiction issues and how I’m handling them and people became very worried with me. S

The Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN) / Reseau Canadien Des Personnes Seropositives (RCPS) is a new independent network for and by people living with HIV and HIV co-infections in Canada. We exist as a people’s network to represent the needs of all persons and communities affected by HIV and HIV co-infections. We help ensure the movement is coordinated nationally, provincially, regionally, and locally to benefit the affected people and communities, and that we are connected with the glo

“New treatments and their outcomes changed the disease. The focus shifted to building a stronger mental state to combat the personal struggles with being diagnosed as positive. Finding the roots of mental disorders and various addictions can prevent these issues from interfering with a healthy future as an HIV-positive individual”.  Over 35 years ago a new virus crept into our mindsets and began to impact the lives of millions of people around the world. The human immune system was unabl

Bob Leahy: I know you have a passion for health and nutrition. I wanted to ask you where does that come from and how does it relate to your own journey with HIV.  Rick Schack: Well, when I got my diagnosis in 1996 they said I had four to seven years to live . .  So you started paying attention.  No, for the first three years I partied my butt off, I went to raves, I did lots of drugs. If I was going to die I wanted to live.  So what changed things?  Well three years in, I went and g

"The Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN) / Reseau Canadien Des Personnes Seropositives (RCPS) is a new independent network for and by people living with HIV and HIV co-infections in Canada. We exist as a people’s network to represent the needs of all persons and communities affected by HIV and HIV co-infections. We help ensure the movement is coordinated nationally, provincially, regionally and locally to benefit the affected people and communities, and that we are connected with the glo

 Bob Leahy: First of all congratulations, David, your appointment was announced yesterday. How do you feel about that?  David Stempwoski: I’m absolutely elated, Bob. I’m excited about the future and moving forward in a constructive way. It’s an exciting time for me.  Bob: Tell me why you both are speaking to PositiveLite.com now.  David: We always knew we were going to do an interview with you, Bob. In fact you are our first official interview to address all these issues, because