Date of Presentation: May 24, 2024
Presenters: Dr. Aniela dela Cruz & Folasade Olaniyan
Venue: CANAC 35th Annual Conference; Ottawa, ON
Audience: Nurses and Health Care Providers in HIV/AIDS Care in Canada

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On May 24, Dr. Aniela dela Cruz (Co-PA) and Folasade Olaniyan (CEM Research Coordinator), of Project ACE presented at the 35th Annual Canadian Association of Nurses in HIV/AIDS Care (CANAC) Conference in Ottawa, sharing insights on reducing HIV stigma and promoting community resilience through capacity building. This event was attended by nurses and health care providers in HIV/AIDS care, showcasing the importance of adapting interventions to contextual barriers and facilitators which ensure the sustainability of impact.

The presentation included the backdrop of literature informing this work, discussion of the ACE model and intervention, summary of the key project activities to date, and sharing the Alberta landscape for the implementation of ACE. Notably, participants in the room also engaged in a discussion of the contextual barriers and facilitators to effective community engagement within Alberta.

Dr. Aniela and Folasade highlighted peer staff as important facilitators to community engagement while lack of sufficient organizations conducting this work posed a challenge within Calgary, which was found to be in resonance within the participants. The session was conducted as a presentation followed by a workshop and discussion portion.

Participants gained valuable insights into addressing contextual factors to the implementation and sustainability of stigma reduction interventions, such as ACE. One of the significant takeaways was to engage communities meaningfully by directly addressing community concerns..

We have made the following resources available:

CANAC_ACE_Study_v.Apr232024

The materials shared above provide a comprehensive overview of the content presented during this conference and are valuable for those looking to deepen their knowledge on building community capacity and promoting community resilience.

The CANAC 2024 Conference was a successful knowledge transfer event that facilitated significant learning and discussion among attendees. We look forward to future opportunities to share our work and engage with the community on advancing collective resilience.