Government of Canada supports community-based organizations to address monkeypox outbreak

This funding will support community prevention, education, awareness, and anti-stigma activities

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 12, 2022 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada remains agile in its ongoing evidence-based response to cases of monkeypox in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working closely with provincial and territorial public health partners to ensure coordination of Canada's strategic response. They are investigating and monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada, as well as providing up to date guidance and information including on laboratory testing and vaccines.

Today, the Honourable Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced a total of $550,000 from the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund to the Community Based Research Centre (CBRC), H.I.M Health Initiative for Men Society in Vancouver, and the Queer and Trans Health Collective in Edmonton. This funding will help community-based organizations in the regions most impacted by the monkeypox outbreak by increasing their capacity to respond to the expressed needs of their communities for prevention, education, awareness, and anti-stigma activities. CBRC will also develop an evidence-based set of national educational resources to support communities across Canada, including smaller communities as the outbreak evolves. CBRC serves as the coordinating body for the Advance Community Alliance, a pan-Canadian alliance of organizations addressing gay and bisexual men's health.

The Government of Canada has been engaging stakeholders across the country, including community-based organizations in sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections and sexual health fields, to understand their information needs when it comes to the monkeypox outbreak. The organizations identified a need for more tools and information to help answer questions and direct members of their communities to credible information and resources. These organizations are trusted sources of information who will use the funding to amplify PHAC messaging in culturally appropriate and stigma-free way, to reach the most affected populations.

Regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and race, anyone can become infected and transmit monkeypox. Understanding of the virus is still evolving and information will continue to be provided as it becomes available.

"Every community has its unique ways of sharing information. This funding will enable the organizations to amplify what they are already doing ? increasing and maintaining awareness about the risks of monkeypox and sharing information in the most effective and compelling ways possible."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

"I am pleased that this funding will help organizations such as H.I.M Health Initiative for Men Society, a community-based organization here in Vancouver that has been dedicated to promoting the health of gay and bisexual men. This funding is an important step in increasing each organization's capacity to share information about monkeypox and collaborating to help slow the spread of the virus."

The Honourable Hedy Fry
Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre

"This swift government action is essential. Monkeypox, or mpox, has been affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Canada, and the most important thing we can do is to get information, resources and vaccines to those who need them. CBRC, and our Alliance partners, will use this funding to work closely with our communities to learn about their needs and empower them to prevent and care for mpox. It's imperative that we not only get out the facts to those at risk, but also play a role in combating stigma and providing support to those impacted. We'll continue to look for ways to work in partnership with government on improving Canada's response."

Jody Jollimore
Executive Director, Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC)

"As MPOX continues to affect our community, this financial support from PHAC is vital to reduce transmission. We're incredibly grateful for funding to support resources to help queer and trans community members in Edmonton access vaccines, keep themselves safe, and reduce stigma amid this outbreak."

Lea DuCoeur
Program Director, Queer and Trans Health Collective

"We have seen that when community-based organizations, governments, and public health collaborate on health promotion and disease prevention we are able to reach more people more effectively than any of us can alone. In Vancouver, such collaborations have yielded the most robust response to monkeypox that we have seen anywhere in the world. We are pleased that the federal government recognizes and is supporting the role community-based organizations have in keeping our communities safe."

Simon Rayek,
Director of Health Administration H.I.M.

• Monkeypox is a viral disease that can spread from person-to-person through close contact including sexual contact, with an infected person's skin, bodily fluids, mucosal surfaces (such as eyes, mouth, throat, genitalia, anus, or rectum), and contaminated objects,
• The HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund supports community-based interventions across Canada to address HIV, hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood borne infections.
• Total of $550,000 from the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund is allocated to support two organizations within the Advance Community Alliance and the Queer and Trans Health Collective to engage populations currently affected by the monkeypox outbreak.
• Today's announcement is part of a $1 million commitment to support organizations across the country.
• On July 21, 2022, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced a total of $350,000 to support three organizations within the Advance Community Alliance, RÉZO in Montreal, AIDS Committee of Toronto, and MAX Ottawa - community-based organizations in the regions most impacted by the monkeypox outbreak.
• The funding will help the organizations amplify the Public Health Agency of Canada's messaging in a way that is culturally appropriate and stigma-free, to reach the populations who are currently affected by the outbreak.

• Backgrounder: Funding to help community-based organizations address Monkeypox

• Government of Canada partners with community-based organizations to address monkeypox outbreak
• Monkeypox: outbreak update
• HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF)
• Advance Community Alliance

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada