Toronto HIV organization closing after 42 years, citing reduced need for its services

An organization that bills itself as Canada’s oldest HIV service agency says it will close next year, in part due to groundbreaking medical advances that have reduced the need for its services.AIDS Committee of Toronto says plummeting demand coincided with financial challenges and broader changes in the health-care system, leading to the decision to close after 42 years.ACT was founded in 1983 when AIDS was marked by stigma, long-term illness and often death. New treatment and prevention measures mean people with HIV now live longer and fuller lives, with a third of ACT’s service users over the age of 55.Executive director Ryan Lisk says it’s time to pass the torch to organizations that better serve current needs, with paramount issues including access to affordable medications and help managing HIV as a chronic disease.“It felt like it’s the right time for us to take a step back,” Lisk said in an interview.He said organizations that have in-house HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing as well as mental health and social services are better equipped to serve their clients. One of those organizations is HQ Health Hub in Toronto, where executive director Dr. Kevin Woodward said HIV is managed as a chronic disease with daily medication. “However, there’s still a lot of needs that are out there in terms of access to care, access to medications, making sure that newcomers who come into Canada, who may be living with HIV, are connected to care as soon as possible,” Woodward said.“There’s a lot of challenges that still exist.”He said incorporating mental health and social supports for this aging population has become a key focus at HQ Health Hub.“We have a population of folks who are getting older, who are what we call long-term survivors that have gone through a lot of trauma,” Woodward said.Lisk said the pool of federal, provincial and municipal funding for HIV organizations has essentially remained the same over the past four decades and that donations have also declined.

Toronto HIV organization closing after 42 years, citing reduced need for its services

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