Partner Organizations and People

Chee Mamuk, Aboriginal Program, STI/HIV Prevention and Control, BC Centre for Disease Control

is a provincial Aboriginal program that provides innovative and culturally appropriate sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV education, resources and wise practice models. Chee Mamuk’s services are grounded in community, tradition and science in order to build capacity in Aboriginal communities to prevent the spread of HIV and STIs.

Melanie Rivers, 7imlaməlwət BA, Squamish Nation

Melanie Rivers is the Program Manager of Chee Mamuk, Aboriginal Program, STI/HIV Prevention and Control, BC Centre for Disease Control. Melanie is Coast Salish from the Squamish Nation. Melanie received her Bachelors of Arts in anthropology and psychology from the University of Victoria. Melanie has recently completed the Provincial Instructors Diploma from Vancouver Community College. For the last eleven years, Melanie has traveled to Aboriginal communities and organizations within BC to provide HIV/AIDS, STI education in a culturally appropriate way. She works with a holistic and community based approach sharing information and ideas in hopes of inspiring people to reduce harm to themselves, gain compassion for people living with HIV and work towards preventative programming. Melanie is interested in seeing communities utilize their strengths to build healthy communities.

Melanie has coordinated innovative projects such as the production of “The Gathering Tree” which is a culturally relevant book for children to learn about HIV. Melanie has also coordinated a positive sexual health campaign created by Halalt, Malahat, and Chemainus youth called “Step Up”. The youth created a DVD and campaign which includes positive messages about STI testing. Melanie participates on provincial and national projects and committees working collaboratively on Aboriginal HIV issues.

Cheryl Maurice

Saulteau First Nation

Cheryl was born and raised in Northern Saskatchewan and still cheers on the Riders, it’s a Saskatchewan thing.  Cheryl enjoyed living in a small remote community but realized that she wanted to fulfill her dream of being able to help people, Cheryl and her young daughter moved to Lloydminster where Cheryl attended the Rehabilitation Services Program at Lakeland College and graduated with honours.  Since then Cheryl has worked in the Human Services field assisting those who need a hand up.

Cheryl is currently employed as the Outreach& Capacity Enhancement Coordinator for Saulteau First Nations.

Dr. Evan Tlesla II Adams

Aboriginal Health Physician Advisor, Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Healthy Living & Sport

Evan Tlesla II Adams is a Coast Salish actor-turned-physician from the Sliammon Band near Powell River, BC, Canada.

He stars in the Emmy-winning TV-movie LOST IN THE BARRENS and its nominated sequel CURSE OF THE VIKING GRAVE. He also stars as Thomas Builds-The-Fire in the Miramax feature SMOKE SIGNALS, written by Sherman Alexie and directed by Chris Eyre. SMOKE SIGNALS won the coveted Audience Award for best film, and the Filmmakers Trophy when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. He also won Best Actor awards from the American Indian Film Festival, First Americans in the Arts, and a 1999 Independent Spirit Award for ‘Best Debut Performance’. He had a recurring role as city councillor JASON HORNE on the CBC drama DA VINCI’S CITY HALL.

Aside from his career in the arts, Evan has completed three years of pre-med studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC), a Medical Doctorate at the University of Calgary in 2002, and completed his Aboriginal Family Practice residency program – during which he was Chief Resident – at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver in 2005. He is the past-President of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC), and is the current Director of the Division of Aboriginal People’s Health in the UBC Department of Family Practice.

Frieda Prince

Nak’azdli First Nation

My name is Frieda Prince.  I am a member of Nak’azdli First Nation near Fort St James, BC.  I grew up there and left as a teenager.  I raised four children, mainly in Prince George.
Most of my work has been in the helping and social service field.  I have been a child care worker, manager of a youth treatment facility, counselor, coordinator, family care worker, etc.  I have always had a passion for teaching others how to get the most out of life and the skills needed to get there. 
I have had several family members affected by HIV; my son, my nephew, and my sister-in-law all died from AIDS related illness.  I have one brother living with HIV and he is a strong advocate for people in the rural areas living with HIV.
The Nak’azdli community has worked hard to reach community members so that others do not have to go through the pain and agony of losing someone to a preventable virus.  In 2008/2009 our Band project worked with the staff from Positive Living North to cover as many small communities as we could to train CHR’s and health workers on how to engage their community in awareness and prevention strategies.  So much of the stigma remains and this was an important time of my life to be able to possibly save a life.
I currently live in Keremeos and work for the Lower Similkameen Indian Band.  I am honoured to be part of Renewing Our Response and to advocate for anyone affected by HIV.

Healing Our Spirit

Provides outreach support for Aboriginal persons with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. Provides workshops to increase awareness and promote prevention of HIV/AIDS in urban and rural Aboriginal communities throughout BC. Services include advocacy, support groups, community development, prison outreach, a resource library, a speakers bureau, an annual HIV/AIDS conference. Funded by PHSA, and Health Canada FNIH. Nonprofit society.

Winston Thompson

Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre

Is a busy Center located on the corner of 108th ave and King George Blvd in Surrey BC.

The purpose of this center is to support the activities that promote the health and economic well-being Aboriginal People, and promote the resurgence of resident Aboriginal Culture, language and teachings, particularly those of the local First Nations residing within the traditional territories.

The Center started off as a “grass roots” organization, and over 18 years has grown to what you see today.

The Programs include:
Nurse Practitioners Office, Head Start Preschool Program, Culinary Arts Program, Elders Circles, Employment Services, Family Strengthening workers, Youth Center Activities, All Nations Youth Safe house, Traditional Parenting programs, and Pre-post natal programs.

Darron Cound

HIV/AIDS/HEP C Outreach Program Coordinator
Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Center
Surrey BC V3T 2K4

Darron’s background is in youth and addictions, where he started as Youth Support Worker at the Kla-how-eya All Nations Youth Safe house in Surrey BC.

As his journey progressed, the position of HIV/AIDS/HEP C Outreach Worker became available. There was no program layout or format in Kla-how-eya’s Health and Wellness department, and so one had to be made from the ground up.

Three years later, the HIV/AIDS HEP C Outreach Program has evolved. The programs consist of:
Awareness Campaigns, (teaching HIV/HEP C Awareness to different groups) Harm Reduction, (making available condoms), and working with Surrey Public Health Nurses, Mental Health and Addiction Nurses , Client Support Services, helping with the referral process of transportation to medical services, food, housing, clothing, and repatriation with the Aboriginal Culture.

The vision of the program is to one day open a Center for HIV/HCV Positive Aboriginal people to come and heal, and learn new skills that will carry them through to the end of their journey.

MATTHEW LOUIE

Youth Community Representative

Kwut hwum qun tuni tsun utl’ Xwul’qw’se’lu. Kwut hwum qun is from Xwul’qw’se’lu.  Matthew Louie from Cowichan Tribes is the son of Renee Louie and Doug August Sr. His grandparents are Evelyn & Rennie Louie and Dorothy & Cicero August. He is a life long student of his language Hul’q'umi’num. As the owner of his own business Kwut hwum qun Consulting his work travels him around Turtle Island and currently volunteers with Red Road HIV/AIDS Network Board of Directors and serving as its
Treasurer as well as the Access to Media Education Society facilitating anti-oppression workshops in the Metro Vancouver area for students in elementary, middle and high schools also post-secondary schools and for educators in these systems. Studying part-time at BCIT he is working towards a Diploma in Human Resources Management. In his spare time, he enjoys reading about current events, travelling and hiking.

Northern Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Taskforce

Aboriginal people in Northern British Columbia will achieve and maintain strong, healthy, and fulfilling lives, free of HIV/AIDS and related issues.

Our Mission

To support meaningful, lasting efforts for Aboriginal Communities in Northern British Columbia to address HIV/ AIDS and related issues in a culturally relevant manner.

Colette Plasway

Colette Plasway has been with the Northern Task Force for over three years.  She provides assistance to the Task Force Chair; managing budgets, staff contracts, and projects.  She also assists the office by writing proposals, reporting to funders and the distributing various documents such as the Community Engagement report, newsletters, and media releases.  She has completed three years towards her Business Commerce degree from the University of Northern British Columbia. Colette was previously employed with Northern Health as their Aboriginal Program Coordinator for five years managing both the Community and Aboriginal Health Programs (AHIP). She is from the Lake Babine Nation and belongs to the Bear Clan.

Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society

Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society Mission Statement:
“To educate and inform the people of the Okanagan territory by providing accurate information and services about HIV & AIDS and hepatitis C.”

OAAS has been providing services to and for the people in the Okanagan Valley with Aboriginal ancestry since 1999. Our board of directors is comprised of volunteers who are of Aboriginal decent and an Acting Executive Director who volunteers hundreds of hours every year to keep the Society running.

Our service area is within the traditional lands of the Okanagan Nation north of the Canadian/US border; which is also part of the BC Interior Health Region. OAAS initiative is to deliver information and provide support to those who claim Aboriginal ancestry; whether they are First Nations, Métis, or Inuit; whether they are on or off reserve; status or non-status; registered or non-registered. We also work with the Friendship Centres/Societies within the Valley; providing them with information and assistance.

Our program coordinator and our program assistant are available, upon request, to go out as educators throughout the Okanagan Valley to present information in the form of workshops to audiences or to set up booths with displays for public awareness. We have the capacity to deliver most types of HIV and AIDS, hepatitis C, and harm reduction information that is requested.

We work with the Living Positive Resource Centre and other AIDS Service Organizations to meet the needs of the Okanagan Aboriginal community by providing education, advocacy, and support services to those infected or affected by HIV and AIDS, and/or hepatitis C in an effort to create a positive support network. Friends and family of people with HIV and AIDS, and/or hepatitis C are invited to discuss their concerns with our office.

OAAS belongs to the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN), Red Road HIV/AIDS Network, Healing Our Spirit (HOS), Renewing Our Response (RoR), Canadian AIDS Society (CAS), Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE), Pacific AIDS Network (PAN), the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) Health Hub, and Interior Health’s Aboriginal Health Initiatives Committee (AHIC). We attend conferences, workshops, and meetings held by these organizations so that we can bring material and knowledge back to our area in an effort to better serve our people.

Rhoda Hallgren

My name is Rhoda Hallgren and my family and I moved to Westbank in August 2006 from Burns Lake, BC; we are all members of the Lake Babine Nation. Just before moving from Burns Lake, I completed the Applied Business Technology program to receive my Administrative Assistant Certification. I was then briefly employed in a couple of different receptionist positions before my employment with the Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Society (OAAS) commenced in February 2008. Becoming OAAS’ program assistant is a wonderful challenge that I am able to embrace mainly because I am constantly on the go and working with a number of different people at the community level as well as within other organizations…all with the same goal in mind – Healthy Aboriginal Communities which are free from diseases.

I worked along side Buffy Mills of the Okanagan Indian Band for the first two and a half years of my employment and during that time learned a lot about HIV and the impact that HIV has had on our communities. Buffy began facilitating sexual health workshops that are community based and driven; and I have continued working with communities using this model of facilitation. We are also happy to announce that we began our first annual Okanagan Aboriginal AIDS Walk last September. We will continue to organize the Walk on an annual basis in order to increase awareness efforts and to provide community health centres with additional funds to address HIV within their communities.

I am truly grateful to be given the opportunity to work in the field of HIV prevention, education, and awareness in an attempt to lower the risk of HIV infection amongst the Aboriginal people within the Okanagan region. In the three years that I have been employed with OAAS, I have enjoyed working with the communities that are located within the Okanagan territory and I have learned a great deal from the people I have met during this time.

Positive Living North

Positive Living North: No khēyoh t’sih’en t’sehena Society (PLN) has been a solid and reputable non-profit society since its incorporation in 1992. In response to the scope of the HIV epidemic in our community, PLN has grown from 1 employee to nearly 20 as we continue to respond to the burgeoning numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS (our members) and the greater need for prevention and education services. With over 90% of our members being of Aboriginal ancestry, we strive to provide our services in a culturally-appropriate manner to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and to that end legally became an Aboriginal organization in 2003. Since 2003, Positive Living North has added to our solid foundation through increased Aboriginal-specific programming and through being involved with local, regional, provincial and national strategies which are directly linked to the root causes of the HIV/AIDS/HCV epidemics.

Organization’s Purpose

VISION

Aboriginal people and all northern residents will achieve mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional balance and live in strong, healthy communities where everyone has full access to the determinants of health, where discrimination and oppression cease to exist and where positive lives flourish.

MANDATE

• To provide culturally-appropriate care and support for people living with HIV/HCV, their families, and their significant communities.
• To improve the health status of Aboriginal people and all northern residents by addressing the barriers to the ‘determinants of health’ through education.
• To encourage, challenge, and educate ourselves and others to engage in client-driven practice that is grounded in respect and integrity.
• To create or respond to opportunities to improve the health status of Aboriginal people and all northern residents, based on a profound respect for the inherent value of every person.

Organizational Structure

Positive Living North is a registered non-profit society with a volunteer Board of Directors which includes people living with HIV/AIDS/HCV, and requires the ten-seat Board to be 50% plus one of Aboriginal ancestry.

Five streams of service are provided by the agency to all Northern BC residents:

1. Member Services – including peer support, advocacy, referral, case management, crisis intervention & therapeutic activities to people living with HIV/AIDS/HCV & general support to their loved ones.
2. Education - targeting risk groups, schools, correctional facilities, etc.
3. Administration - providing support services to staff, Board, members, and volunteers.
4. The Fire Pit – providing a culturally-based drop-in prevention resource aimed at the most vulnerable members of our community (especially street-involved people).
5. Smithers – We were approached by two funders to take over administration of a Northwestern BC HIV/AIDS service organization, which we undertook in early 2008. Within this satellite office, member and education services are offered in an informal drop-in setting.

Vanessa West

Vanessa is presently the Executive Director for Positive Living North: No khēyoh t’sih’en t’sehena Society (PLN), the Aboriginal HIV/AIDS service organization based in Prince George. A First Nations woman from the Lheidli T’enneh Nation who lives within her community with her two children, she began her career with PLN in May 2007. At that time, she worked as the Fire Pit Cultural Drop-In Centre Manager, PLN’s street-level HIV/AIDS prevention program.

Prior to her experience at PLN, she has worked for her community in the capacity of Treaty Office Manager and had been an elected member of Council for four consecutive terms. Vanessa has been able to take her years of experience in administration and utilize those skills at PLN. The ability to work with people living with HIV/AIDS/HCV has expanded her understanding of the illness, while allowing her the chance to build relationships based upon trust and respect.

Red Road HIV/AIDS Network

The BC Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Task Force was established in 1996 to bring together on and off reserve organizations and projects dealing with HIV/AIDS. The Task Force worked to increase the network of those living with HIV/AIDS, the professionals working in the field and those who have an interest in addressing HIV/AIDS in their community. One of the primary achievements of the Task Force has been the development and implementation of the Red Road: Pathways to Wholeness, An Aboriginal Strategy for HIV and AIDS in BC.

The Strategy, which was officially launched on February 1, 1999, is a pathway to increase the quality of life of all Aboriginal people. This is accomplished by respecting and integrating the traditional and cultural values and beliefs of individuals, families and communities. The Strategy supports the use of those traditions in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. The Strategy contains 50 recommendations to address Aboriginal HIV/AIDS in BC.

An integral component of the implementation of the Strategy is the creation of the Red Road HIV/AIDS Network (RRHAN) which incorporated on May 7, 1999. The purpose of the Network is to:

• reduce or prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS
• improve the health and wellness of Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS
• increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and establish a network which supports the development and delivery of culturally appropriate, innovative, coordinated, accessible, inclusive and accountable HIV/AIDS programs and services

RRHAN is one of three provincially-based Aboriginal organizations (Healing Our Spirit BC Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Society and Chee Mamuk). Our past work has included, but not limited to:

• Development of resource directories and guidebooks
• Hosted and co-hosted numerous workshops and conferences to discuss current issues relating to HIV/AIDS
• Developed Canada's first full-colored magazine highlighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic amongst the Aboriginal population
• Utilized mapping and GIS technology to visually represent services available for APHA's in BC

Kim Louie

I am Coast Salish from the Tla’amin First Nation, Powell River, BC. I have spent the past 10 years working in the non-profit, provincial based sectors, many of which were spent working with people living with HIV/AIDS. My experience includes working with the following Aboriginal health related organizations; Indian Residential School Survivors Society, Aboriginal Health Association of BC, Lower Mainland Aboriginal Health Council.

I am currently the Executive Director, in which my responsibilities include overseeing current projects and ensuring positive working relationships are developed and maintained with partners, community representatives, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholder organizations and with relevant government officials in the areas that fall within the provisions of Red Road HIV/AIDS Network Strategic Plan.

I am committed to improving the health and wellness of those who are affected by HIV/AIDS. I continue to work closely with the Board of Directors, members and associates of the society towards the goals of the Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Sandy Lambert

Community Liaison

Sandy has been involved in the HIV/AIDS movement since 2000 when he began advocating to have BC Medical pay for the surgical removal of his Lypodystrophy a.k.a. (Buffalo Hump) caused by HAART (D4T). After a 3½ year battle with BC Medical, success was finally achieved in 2004, setting a precedent for other PHA/APHA living with this disfiguring condition.

Sandy is a member of the TallCree First Nation and currently resides in Vancouver where he is active in many organizations locally and nationally. He has publically advocated for surgical removal of Lypodystrophy through television, paper publications and many conferences.

His accomplishments to date:
- BCPWA Treatment Information Peer (TIP)
- BCPWA Board of Directors
- Co-Chair RRHAN
- CATIE Board of Directors (Aboriginal at Large)
- CTAC Board of Directors/(Aboriginal Representative)
- ROR Community Liaison
- HOS APHA Advisory Committee (Chair/Elder)
- CTV First Story (HIV/AIDS) Community
- CAAN 10th Annual Conference Press Release

Sandy remains dedicated to helping his brothers and sisters who do not have a voice. His early childhood in the foster care system, as well as his continuing life experiences, have given Sandy the skills and knowledge to advocate in the HIV/AIDS world. He is grateful for his partner and friends that have supported him throughout the years.

Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre

Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre began operation in 1992. It manages public health and communicable disease control for Cowichan Tribes, and provides health education programs for more than 7,000 Aboriginal people in the region of which 4,200 are Cowichan Tribes members.

Fairlie Mendoza

Fairlie has been a Community Health Nurse for Cowichan Tribes since 1995. Prior to this position, she worked as a street nurse for the Ministry of Health from 1990-95 in Vancouver’s DTES. Fairlie has an interest in international Indigenous health and HIV issues, having worked on projects in Argentina, Venezuela and Panama (where her family resides)

Vancouver Native Health Society 
Positive Outlook Program

ESTABLISHED in 1991, Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS) delivers medical, counselling and social services, with an emphasis on providing care to the Aboriginal community. All programs are accessible without fees to native and non-native individuals residing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This “ghettoized” neighbourhood is home to most of the Lower Mainland’s most marginalized: substance dependent individuals, the mentally ill, homeless, immigrants, troubled youth and First Nations people.

The Positive Outlook Program provides care, treatment, and support services to over 1,500 people living with HIV/AIDS in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver, with a strong focus directed towards the First Nations people. The program offers nursing care and outreach services, drug and alcohol counseling, social work services, maximally assisted medication therapy, daily lunches, a weekly food bank, and a rent supplement program.

The Positive Outlook Program model encompasses an approach that addresses the physical, spiritual/traditional, mental, and emotional needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Working within the framework of our model, our primary mandate is to provide treatment services to HIV+ clients. The model bridges gaps between hospital, community and the myriad of specialized services in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Respect for First Nations cultures forms the basic tenet of the program. Flexible approaches recognize the complexity of needs and the individual situation of each client. Components include daily drop-in, food bank, meals, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, counseling, prevention education, maximally assisted medication therapy and on-site access to physicians, nurses, social workers, addictions counselors and outreach workers.

Staff members collaborate within and outside of the program and work with clients in various settings including hospitals. Strong partnerships are in place with all existing AIDS service organizations; this includes a social work liaison position with St. Paul’s Hospital 10C ward to provide ongoing consultation and involvement in discharge planning.

Our multidisciplinary team consists of 1 R.N. Coordinator, 1 Administrative Assistant, 1 Registered Medication Nurse, 1 LPN/Mental Health Nurse, 1 part time Social Worker/Case Manager, 1 day a week Elder, 2 Drug and Alcohol Counselors, 3 peer Community Health Counselors (CHCs), and 4 Outreach Workers. We provide seven-day week coverage without relief staffing. Through partnerships with other agencies and a strong volunteer base (consisting of our clients) we are able to offer the necessary services to our community.

Doreen Littlejohn

Doreen Littlejohn, RN has been the Nurse Coordinator of the Positive Outlook Program (POP) at the Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS) since 1997. Doreen also has a private Nurse Counselling Practice with Chaldecott Medical Clinic.

Doreen is passionate about making a difference in the lives of those who have no voice. Her dream of nursing in developing countries was unexpectedly realized in her own backyard. Vancouver is one of the richest cities in the world but is also home to one of the most marginalized populations in Canada. The people of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) are very often homeless, poor, infected with HIV/HEP C, drug addicted, mentally ill, and far too often die on the streets. Doreen was instrumental in establishing the Positive Outlook Program at VNHS, which is a community-based, grassroots HIV/AIDS model that emphasizes multidisciplinary care to link clients with primary and specialized health care at health services in the neighborhood. A core component of the program is informed by Aboriginal philosophies of health and well being, emphasizing holistic health by combining spiritual, traditional, mental, and emotional needs with physical. It accounts for the specific socio-cultural context that shape participants’ lives in the DTES, working to meet their needs for innovative interventions.

Doreen has been given the greatest honor from her staff; an Ojibway name “Kanatamgate”, meaning one who fights for the rights of others. She urges all nurses to work together to break down the barriers facing the HIV positive Aboriginal population.

YouthCO

Kelly L’Hirondelle

Kelly is of Cree/Métis decent. He is a strong advocate for youth voice and youth driven process. Kelly has been a dedicated grassroots community advocate for over ten years. Kelly is the founder and previous Executive Director of KAYA, (Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association) an urban Aboriginal youth driven organization. Kelly advocates for youth representation, particularly as it relates to providing a voice for youth involvement in decision-making processes. Kelly describes himself as a youth advocate and is no longer a youth but an adult in denial.