Summary
A $2-million team grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research University of Saskatchewan has been awarded to clinician and researcher Dr. Stuart Skinner to refine and expand an on-reserve diagnosis and treatment program for HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections.
The five-year, multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral project, which totals $4.65 million when in-kind contributions are included, involves close to 50 scholars, clinicians, policymakers and knowledge users, reads a statement from the University of Saskatchewan.
Nearly half the participants are Indigenous community members, chiefs, and people who’ve experienced the infections.
“We’re pretty excited about the grant success,” said Skinner, clinical assistant professor in the College of Medicine. “We wanted to build a First Nations-led initiative that met the local community needs and integrated western and Indigenous approaches.”
First Nations communities in Saskatchewan have Canada’s highest rate of HIV infections – more than seven times the national average – and HCV rates that are five times the national average. Women are over-represented in HIV infections among Saskatchewan First Nations at 40 per cent, compared to 22 per cent of all cases nationally.
The goal of the new project is to work closely with First Nations communities in expanding the reach of a community-designed and managed HIV diagnosis and treatment program called Know Your Status (KYS) and also includes HCV and other blood-borne infections.
A key component of KYS is a culturally-responsive approach that integrates mainstream western medicine with the traditional Indigenous health model, which includes mentoring by Elders and providing physical, emotional and spiritual care to maintain community health and wellness.
“Through this project we will be able to show just how much resilience, strengths and assets there are in Indigenous communities. I know that Dr. Skinner, his team and the communities will do some wonderful research,” said Carrie Bourassa, scientific director of CIHR’s Institute of Aboriginal People’s Health.
Skinner has been working since 2011 with the Big River First Nation, which developed KYS because many community members were unable to access treatment from specialists in larger care centres. This has expanded further into HIV and HCV testing and treatment over the past six years to 10 outreach clinics.