Our ongoing focus is on making decisions and/or recommendations that are evidence-informed. So, our 5-year plan facilitates opportunities for people living with HIV and HIV co-infections (i.e. current and prospective CPPN members), partners and allies, and relevant community-based stakeholders to develop and enhance their skills and capacity to:
- Understand and debate policy and practice and the impact and implications on the well-being and quality of life of people living with HIV and HIV co-infections;
- Build skills/develop capacity to contribute effectively to policy and practice development and implementation efforts and interventions; and,
- Speak with confidence and credibility as experts and advocates on the impact and implications of evidence on policy and practice to a wide range of audiences (e.g., peers, community-based representatives, politicians and political decision-makers, the media, members of the general public, etc.).
Based on feedback from our members, our concentrated effort on knowledge development, translation, and exchange activities will address the following issues (though this list is not necessarily exclusive):
- U=U: understanding the science; debating its impact on and implications for people living with, affected by, and/or at risk of HIV and HIV co-infections; and building skills/developing specific capacity to speak to the issues with confidence and credibility to a wide range of audiences (e.g., peers, community-based representatives, politicians and political decision-/policy-makers, the media, members of the general public, etc.).
- Disclosure and criminal law: understanding Canada's Criminal Code as it relates to disclosure; debating current law policy and its impact and implications on stigma and discrimination, and on the well-being and quality of life of people living with HIV and HIV co-infections; building skills/developing specific capacity to contribute effectively to law/policy reform efforts and initiatives; and, speaking with confidence and credibility on the potential benefits of law/policy reform to a wide range of audiences (e.g., peers, community-based representatives, politicians and political decision-/policy-makers, the media, members of the general public, etc.).
- Health, social justice, and public policy: identifying and understanding health and social justice issues faced by people living with, affected by, and at risk of HIV and HIV co-infections; debating related public policy gaps and priorities and the impact and implications of health and social justice public policy on/for people living with, affected by, and/or at risk of HIV and HIV co-infections; and, building skills/developing specific capacity to speak to the issues with confidence and credibility to a wide range of audiences (e.g., peers, community-based representatives, politicians and political decision-/policy-makers, the media, members of the general public, etc.).
- Stigma and discrimination: what it looks like; how it hinders our health and social well-being and our quality of life; what can/do we do about it?