Publications

Enhancing the Lives of Albertans

The Alberta Community Council on HIV (ACCH) provides resources for our members, stakeholders and the public at large. Through a social justice lens ACCH supports community-based responses to HIV, Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections, Sexual Health via advocacy, harm reduction, education, skills building training and health promotion. Our collective action will improve systems pertaining to HIV and related issues and enhance the lives of Albertans.

 

This 'Knowledge Hub' of ACCH consists of helpful information and links available to our members, stakeholders and the public to provide a clearer vision on topics pertaining to HIV, Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections, Sexual Health, Harm reduction and Education, Skills Building Training and Health Promotion. Please view below articles:

Reports and Position Statements:

  • A Community-Based Report on Alberta's SCS Effectiveness - This report provides an analysis of the effectiveness of the current SCS/OPS sites approved and operating in Alberta.

  • Options in HIV Testing -In this paper, we discuss the ACCH position in relation to various HIV testing techniques, their applicability in various contexts, and their potential to contribute making progress towards objectives related to testing rates and stigma reduction.

Keeping Up With the Evidence:

  • Issue One: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - This first issue of ‘Keeping up with the Evidence’ focuses on case studies as supporting evidence of the benefits of including peer outreach and/or peer workers within harm reduction, HIV and STBBI programming. While ACCH members are aware of this, these articles could be referred to in proposals or in communicating with third parties the importance of including people with lived experience in their operations. 

  • Issue Two: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - The second issue of 'Keeping Up With the Evidence' focuses on literature discussing drug testing as part of harm reduction strategies. These articles provide perspectives on the topic coming from varied locations across the globes, with conclusions which can be useful for the current Albertan context.

  • Issue Three: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - The third issue of 'Keeping Up With the Evidence' focuses on recent literature on youth. Three of the four articles provided here are about studies conducted in British Columbia while the last one is from an American study. All articles highlight the highly complex nature of the issues that young people deal with and therefore, the necessity of developing adapted and flexible harm reduction strategies in providing them services.

  • Issue Four: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - This month’s Keeping Up with the Evidence is dedicated to recent publications coming out of the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS).

  • Issue Five: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - The August issue deals with current research on needle and syringe programs.

  • Issue Six: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - The October issue of KUWTE covers a range of topics, including drug checking, peer workers, and safer smoking supplies.

  • Issue Seven: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - In the November issue, we step away from directly relevant evidence to present papers which provide useful perspectives even though some of them are primarily focused on contexts normally not associated with ACCH member activities.

  • Issue Eight: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - This issue of KUWTE looks at recent articles discussing various models of intervention in activities of relevance to ACCH members.

  • Issue Nine: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - This issue of KUWTE looks at various elements related to a range of interventions. The first article discusses the potential consequences of stopping the provision of a syringe program, the second one presents benefits of low-barrier services to engage certain populations, and the last one provides some insight on the impact of community policing on uptake of supervised consumption services.

  • Issue Ten: View Keeping Up With the Evidence - This issue focuses on a single recent publication discussing the Canadian response to the opioid crisis through the lens of the four-pillar approach guiding the Canadian Drug and Substance Strategy (SDSS)