Screening still remains the key to reducing the transmission of STBBIs. On the occasion of National HIV Testing Day, and in a context where the federal government announced the upcoming end of funding for the home self-testing program, Alexandre Dumont Blais, general director of RÉZO and Maxim Éthier, doctor and co-founder of the Quorum and Prelib medical clinics, discuss the impacts of the current context on communities and organizations preventing and combating the spread of HIV and other STBBIs.
RÉZO has been offering services and programs related to HIV and STBBI prevention for 30 years to GBQ men and trans people who have relationships with men. The organization notably offers individual and group interventions, tools for the prevention of violence between men as well as workshops intended for targeted clienteles, such as Convive, for Spanish-speaking people and Kominote, for black people.
RÉZO is also one of the largest distributors of HIV self-tests in Quebec. The organization notably counted on a resource person dedicated 100% to the distribution of self-tests, hired thanks to funds offered by the government, which poses a challenge for the organization in the current context.
For the moment, it can still continue to order the tests free of charge, it will therefore continue to distribute them within its activities, however the general director emphasizes that time is running out: “We may be able to to continue distributing tests until the end of the year, but once we can no longer order self-tests, I don’t know what we will do. We will have to work with our partners to find solutions. »
For Alexandre Dumont Blais, in addition to being one strategy among a set of others helping to curb the transmission of HIV, the distribution of self-tests is also a pretext for raising awareness and discussing with communities. The importance of proximity to the population and access to screening has also been proven within the framework of the Zone Rose project, implemented last summer by RÉZO in the Village. The container topped with a giant pink cone located on Sainte-Catherine Street served as a free walk-in screening center and distribution of protective equipment, self-tests and information tools throughout last summer and will be back this year from July 3 to September 29.
The popularity of the Pink Zone has demonstrated that people want to be tested and that there is a significant need for this service. Alexandre Dumont Blais, however, recalls that, a victim of its popularity, the service is dependent on its ability to bring together nursing resources available through its partnerships. He also recalls that lines of people sometimes formed in front of the kiosk before it opened. In order to respond to this problem, the organization is currently working to expand opening hours this summer: “we are aiming for greater screening because the concept works. We therefore want to increase screening hours. » Another important issue raised via the Pink Zone: access to screening for people not covered by RAMQ. Indeed, Alexandre Dumont Blais points out that several people without RAMQ cards, for example foreign students, newcomers, etc., headed towards the giant pink cone. According to him, this portrait confirms the need to maintain all possible HIV prevention strategies in place: “free walk-in systems make it possible to capture several people without insurance coverage, who can at least test themselves for HIV with a self-test. »
The four Prelib clinics located in Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec also provide access to screening and sexual health services to clients who are not reached by the usual network. The clinics offer an online platform through which customers complete a questionnaire independently and are guided through the testing and sampling stages, in order to complete a screening in complete privacy. The method has the advantage of limiting barriers and providing access to services to people who are less comfortable talking about their sexuality. In total, 60,000 screenings were carried out thanks to the Prelib network last year.
Alexandre Dumont Blais also notes that at a time when we are observing an increase in STI cases in Montreal, the younger generation seems less aware of the reality of HIV, which accentuates the need for a holistic approach in the fight. to the spread of the virus: “we note a certain trivialization and a lack of information among young people. HIV remains incurable and requires lifelong medication. It is therefore important to make effective strategies, such as PrEP, more accessible. »
Doctor Éthier notes a similar alarming situation among the young clientele of the Prelib clinic: “There is a lot of education to be done among young people. Some come to get PrEP, but they have never been tested before. Others ask for medication, but we realize that they have already contracted the virus. »
For the general director of RÉZO, the solution to accessibility involves eliminating barriers to screening: “we must offer free screening services in various locations, at various times and by trained and inclusive staff. It could be a game changer. »
Beyond access to screening centers, Maxim Éthier recalls that accessibility must also be addressed globally, by considering all stages of the process, including the capacity of the health network’s laboratories to treat a larger number tests sent by clinics. For him, the solution is therefore in particular better consultation between all the actors involved: “We must adopt a global approach with a common objective: to offer as much screening as possible. »
INFO | To learn more about HIV testing and the services offered by RÉZO, visit https://www.rezosante.org
