"An organization that bills itself as Canada's oldest HIV service agency says it will close next year, in part due to groundbreaking medical advances that have reduced the need for its services. AIDS Committee of Toronto says plummeting demand coincided with financial challenges and broader changes in the health-care system, leading to the decision to close after 42 years. ACT was founded in 1983 when AIDS was marked by stigma, long-term illness and often death."
"New treatment and prevention measures mean people with HIV now live longer and fuller lives, with a third of ACT's service users over the age of 55. Executive director Ryan Lisk says it's time to pass the torch to organizations that better serve current needs, with paramount issues including access to affordable medications and help managing HIV as a chronic disease. Lisk says the pool of federal, provincial and municipal funding for HIV organizations has essentially remained the same over the past four decades and that donations have also declined."
AIDS Committee of Toronto will close next year after 42 years of operation. The organization began in 1983 when AIDS carried intense stigma and frequently resulted in long-term illness and death. Groundbreaking medical treatment and prevention advances have reduced demand for traditional services and extended lifespans; a third of current service users are over 55. Declining donations and a federal, provincial and municipal funding pool that has remained essentially unchanged for decades have strained finances. Broader health-care system changes also reduced service demand. Priority community needs now focus on affordable medications and managing HIV as a chronic disease.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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