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‘Living well’ marks the theme of 2022 National Day of Women Living with HIV

February 20, 2022

Each year, on March 9th, the National Network of Women Living with HIV celebrate the lives of women with HIV in Australia. We use this day to educate the wider community that HIV does affect women in Australia; and to speak to our network about issues of importance.

In the lead up to our 7th National Day of Women Living with HIV on March 9th, 2022 we’re releasing a social media campaign. We asked positive women around the country to share their voices to help us celebrate the theme of this year’s National Day event #WomenLivingWell. The campaign aims to raise the profile of our unique perspectives and stories across the country.

This initiative by our National Network of Women Living with HIV heard from many positive women whose voices are being featured in 20 social media images.

“We asked what does living well mean to you? This is a theme which focuses on the importance of joy, health, wellbeing and connection in our lives,” says Kath Leane from the National Network.

“What does living well look like and feel like in your everyday life? What are some of the challenges to living well for women living with HIV? What changes would you like to see? What are your hopes for yourself and for other women?”

“When women living with HIV, in all their beautiful diversity, share their voices and tell their stories, we support each other; we end our own internalised stigma; and we raise awareness within the wider community,” says Heather Ellis also from the National Network. Heather is also the host of the ‘Our Stories: Ending HIV stigma‘ podcast series, published by Positive Women Victoria.

“The stories of all women living with HIV are so very powerful in fighting ignorance and ultimately ending HIV-related stigma once and for all.”

The short but powerful quotes in this campaign reflect the diversity, resilience, challenges and strengths of women’s lives. On this National Day, we continue making time to celebrate the lives, stories and resilience of positive women. by hosting events and raising the awareness and profile of women living with HIV in Australia.

See below a listing of events around Australia hosted by various organisations, agencies and groups

Also visit the major makeover of the ‘Living Well: Women with HIV’ website

This year’s National Day of Women Living with HIV theme and socal media campaign initiative ties in with the Living Well: Women with HIV website. This website having undergone a major makeover, offers wide ranging information about living with HIV, disclosing HIV status, having sex, taking treatment, caring for your body, having children, keeping well, and getting support. It was first published by AFAO and NAPWHA in 2016.

This new-look website Living Well: Women with HIV, reflects some of the ways the world of positive women has changed during the last few years, including the release of the The Breastfeeding for women living with HIV in Australia community resource which was launched in September 2021. The new design has been to enhance online access.

VISIT THE 'Living Well: Women with HIV' WEBSITE

Women’s Morning Tea Event in Adelaide — Wed 9 March

Join SAMESH and The David Roche Foundation for a guided tour of Silhouettes: Fashion in the Shadow of HIV/AIDS, followed by a morning tea on the manicured grounds of The David Roche Museum.

Kath Leane from Positive Life SA (PLSA) and the National Network of Women living with HIV (NAPWHA) will also speak about the importance of the day and give us some history of women living with HIV in Australia.

When: Wed, March 9, 2022 — 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ACDT
Where: The David Roche Foundation, 241 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, SA 5006

RESERVE YOUR TICKET TO THIS EVENT

Women’s Morning Tea Event in Brisbane — Wed 9 March

To commemorate this years 7th National Day of Women Living With HIV, QPP is hosting a Morning Tea at New Farm Park Rotunda, 10:30am, Wednesday, 9 March 2022.

Join us to celebrate Living Well this National Day of Women Living with HIV, enjoy a relaxed morning tea, share your experiences and even discuss the national social media campaign published and launched by NAPWHA on the day.

To RSVP for the event, please email info@qpp.org.au or phone 07 3013 5555. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements too.

RSVP via email to info@qpp.org.au

Women’s Breakfast Event in Perth — Wed 9 March

WAAC are hosting a Breakfast meeting for the SHEWomen Group to commemorate the National Women HIV Day at Biara Café (previous known as Stickybeaks Playground Café) located in Kings Park and Botanic Garden. on the Wednesday 9 March 2022 at 10–12 noon.

There is also the first Open Community Consultation for people living with HIV is on Tuesday 8 March. Finger food and soft drinks from 5:30pm–6:00pm. The Consultation/Forum will be from 6:00–7:30pm.

Register your interest by contacting Melphina Moyo
WAAC HIV Peer Educator (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday)
Phone: 08 9482 0000 | Mobile: 0436 431 435

Women’s Morning Tea Event in Sydney — Wed 9 March

Positive Life NSW National Day WLHIV 2022

Positive Life NSW invites women living with HIV and a guest to celebrate the lives of all women living with HIV over an Afternoon High Tea, at the Seventh National Day of Women living with HIV.

Join us as we relax with friends and supporters in a mixed social environment over a classic range of sweet and savoury treats, coffee and a range of tea selections, hear from a range of presenters speaking to our theme Living Well: Beyond Stigma and enjoy some light entertainment.

RSVP essential for catering purposes. Please advise dietary restrictions (gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan) on RSVP. Places limited to 50 guests.

Time: 2pm – 4pm
Place: Sheraton Grand Sydney, Hyde Park, 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW
Register: (02) 9206-2177 or 1800 245 677 (freecall) by 5pm Wednesday 2 March or contact@positivelife.org.au

RSVP via email to contact@positivelife.org.au

Listen to ‘Our Stories: Ending HIV Stigma‘ — a podcast series by Positive Women Victoria

Listen to Our Stories: Ending HIV Stigma, a podcast about women, by women living with HIV in Australia to challenge the myths and stereotypes that feed HIV stigma. We share our stories of achieving our personal and career goals, navigating sex and relationships, and our journey through pregnancy and motherhood in this new era of Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U).

Our stories are real, unfiltered and always inspiring. Hosted by Heather Ellis, a journalist and author, who has lived with HIV since 1995. Original podcast music by Mark Daniel. Podcast artwork by Carolina Relander.

Listen to 'Our Stories: Ending HIV Stigma'

Join the NAPWHA social media campaign: Living Well — What it means to you

Each year, on March 9, the National Network of Women Living with HIV celebrate the lives of women with HIV in Australia. We use this day to educate the wider community that HIV does affect women in Australia; and to speak to our network about issues of importance.

Our theme this year is ‘Living Well’, and focuses on the importance of joy, health, wellbeing, and connection in our lives. If you are a woman living with HIV, we want to hear from you.

We want to hear what living well means to you. What does it look like? Feel like? What are your hopes for yourself and for other women? What work still needs to be done?

The goal of this campaign from the National Network of Women Living With HIV & NAPWHA is to celebrate our strengths and hopes, as well as highlighting the work that still needs to be done to make sure all women living with HIV have the support to truly live well.

We hope to share the words from women like you in a social media campaign to raise the profile of our unique perspectives and stories across the country. Of course, you can be anonymous if you like.

Get involved by responding to the short questions below with as much or as little detail as you like. Make sure you send us your words by Friday, 4th March. We hope your voice will be part of it!

Our national social media campaign will be published and launched on NAPWHA’s social media channels and on the Positive Living website on the National Day on the 9th March.

JOIN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN FOR 2022 NATIONAL DAY WLHIV BY 4 MAR 2022

NAPWHA President’s EOY Report

December 1, 2021

2021 – what a year! Appropriately, it’s ending with a bang!

World AIDS Day Announcement – $39 Million Over 5 Years – for PLHIV who are ineligible for Medicare

On World AIDS Day, the Commonwealth Minister for Health, the Hon. Greg Hunt announced a new investment of $39m over five years to provide HIV treatment for people with HIV who are ineligible for Medicare through a new government scheme.

This partnership between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories delivers on the Minister’s commitment at World AIDS Day last year to seek a solution to this long-standing problem.

NAPWHA is elated that twenty years of advocacy has had such a positive outcome. We welcome this initiative which will close a gap in our response to HIV. We thank the Minister for Health for his vision and commitment to ending HIV transmissions in Australia.

As I type, media alerts announcing Minister Hunt’s intentions to retire at the next election have begun to appear, and perhaps we can thank, at least in part, the Minister’s intention to leave a legacy for the decision to fund ARV access for PLHIV who are ineligible for Medicare. Either way, it was at times an intense 12 months as we waited on a funding commitment to match the Minister’s announcement last year that he would seek to fix the Medicare ineligible issue … but then we found it had been left it out of the annual budget that followed!

However, it’s now done!

Thanks are due to all those who kept this issue on the agenda and worked towards this outcome over a staggering two decades. We thank the Minister for his vision and commitment.

National Peaks and Other Funding

Along with the Minister’s announcement of $39 million over five years to address access to ARVs for people without a Medicare card, the World AIDS Day commitments this year also contained additional funding for NAPWHA and the other Peak organisations. $11 million dollars shared across the peaks will deliver long-term capacity to deliver activity work for the next four years.

Whilst not the exciting and longstanding issue that is Medicare ineligibles, extended activity contracts with the Commonwealth will deliver long-term stability and should not be seen as any less of a win!

Our relationships with pharmaceutical companies have never been stronger. Generous grant funding from our industry partners combined with our contracts with the Commonwealth government will help us leverage significantly better value from each dollar. When compared with 2016 at least, our Association will enter 2022 in an impressive position to bring together vision, strategy, expertise and capacity with financial strength and security.

It takes dollars to do what NAPWHA does, and long-term challenges to our ability to properly resource the HIV response remain. But NAPWHA is healthy, and 2022 – our 41st year living with HIV – is gearing up to be one of our best ever.

Annual General Meeting and Election Outcome

Sincerest thanks to Sarah Feagan and NAPWHA’s staff for delivering another successful Annual General Meeting and Member’s Forum in late November – hopefully our last fully ‘virtual’ event for the time being.

Those with access to my Facebook feed will have seen a personal update recently with all the gory details which I won’t rehash here, but it is a fundamental role of a Vice President to be ready to step-up to ensure the seamless governance of an organisation when a President is unable. Sarah has proven herself immensely capable – not a surprise to anybody – in stepping up when I fell. She’s done a superb job as Acting President for the last month and a half. Thank you!

I am honoured to have been returned for a second term as President of NAPWHA as a result of the Board elections held this year. I am also thrilled that Danny Ryding has been appointed to the Secretary/Treasurer role. We warmly welcome Simon O’Connor (who re-joins the board) and, the Sydney-based Justin Xiao (who joins us for the first time).

Unfortunately, Michael Brown, who has made such a valued contribution to NAPWHA governance in the last two years, has commenced a new job in North Queensland. We completely understand Michael’s decision to focus all of his efforts on his new role in Indigenous sexual health, and we wish him every success.

Thank you also to Chris Howard who has served as NAPWHA Secretary/Treasurer for the past two years. In the end, an enormous existing workload and pressure to commit more time to NAPWHA clashed for Chris, as inevitably they do. Chris made the difficult decision to relieve some of the pressure by moving on from NAPWHA. Chris’ input to NAPWHA will continue through the Operational Leadership Group, of course, but his steady hand and experience will be sorely missed at Board level. Thank you, Chris.

The ‘Stuff’ To Come!

Rest up! Plans of 2019 interrupted by COVID19 are back on the agenda in 2022! That means a big year for us all!

At NAPWHA, we’ve a Strategic Plan to finalise, Rules to review, a MIPA/GIPA Audit of our own Association to implement, new national networks to establish, and better governance processes to develop – and that’s not the half of it!

NAPWHA Office Closure

NAPWHA’s Newtown office will be closed from 5pm on Friday the 17th December 2021 to 9am on Monday the 10th January 2022; while our staff take time for rest, recovery, self-care and reinvigoration.

Happy Holidays!

Sarah will continue as Acting President of NAPWHA for the remainder of 2021, then she too will take a well-earned break.

What my recent experience has taught me is that I didn’t have as much in reserve as I thought I had – and I suggest that’s probably the case for most of us! Whether in Melbourne (the most locked-down city on the planet), Sydney, rural Northern NSW or elsewhere in Australia, COVID19 has impacted us all in pervasive ways gnawed at our resilience and diminished our reserves.

Friends, enjoy your break – live it up, live it down, live it whatever way it takes to refresh and recharge.

And, we’ll see you next year.

Scott Harlum
President | 1 December 2021

DONWLOAD THE NAPWHA ANNUAL REPORT 2021

People who are ineligible for Medicare to gain access to HIV treatment and care

November 30, 2021

Video: The World AIDS Day Parliamentary Breakfast, which began in 2010, is usually held in Parliament House, Canberra. Through the generous support of the Commonwealth Department of Health, AFAO administers the event in collaboration with NAPWHA and the Pacific Friends of Global Health. The event is hosted by the Parliamentary Friends for Action on HIV/AIDS, Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmitted Infections. NAPWHA’s Brent Clifton addresses the continuing imperative of the meaningful involvement of people with HIV (MIPA) an the continuing HIV response as part of an esteemed panel of speakers.

Sector Release
1 December 2021

Today, the Commonwealth Minister for Health, the Hon. Greg Hunt announced a new investment of $39m over five years to provide HIV treatment for people with HIV who are ineligible for Medicare through a new government scheme. This partnership between the Commonwealth and the states and territories delivers on the Minister’s commitment at World AIDS Day last year to seek a solution to this long-standing problem.

NAPWHA is elated that twenty years of advocacy on this matter has had such a positive outcome. We welcome this initiative which will close a gap in our response to HIV. We thank the Minister for Health his vision and commitment to ending HIV transmissions in Australia.

For many overseas students, workers, and others on temporary visas, accessing healthcare is often prohibitively expensive. Many are forced to use a range of precarious methods to buy the antiretroviral medications they rely on to suppress HIV. So, for the approximately 1000 people living with HIV in Australia on a temporary visa, maintaining effective treatment and care under those circumstances presents a real personal challenge.

Supporting the treatment of people living with HIV in Australia who do not have access to Medicare is not only healthier for those individuals, but also important to Australia’s public health response and to achieving lower rates of HIV transmission in Australia.

Equitable access to HIV treatments for everyone in Australia is not only necessary for the long-term health of the individual, but also to Australia’s commitment to meeting the UN AIDS 95-95-95 targets (95% of people knowing their HIV status, 95% on treatment, and 95% having an undetectable viral load) and to achieve the virtual elimination of HIV transmissions.

“This is great news for this highly vulnerable group,” says Scott Harlum, President of the National Association of People With HIV Australia (NAPWHA). “HIV positive people without access to Medicare will no longer have to rely on personal importation, drug trials or compassionate access arrangements to maintain their health.”

“We commend Minster Hunt for his willingness to resolve this issue, and for his commitment to implementing arrangements for which NAPWHA and others have lobbied hard for more than 20 years.”

Darryl O’Donnell, CEO of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) said it was important to note that a person with HIV who is on successful treatment is unable to pass on HIV to a sexual partner.

“HIV is now a successfully treatable condition,” Mr O’Donnell said. “Undetectable = Untransmittable is a current global campaign promoting the universal use of HIV treatment to prevent HIV transmission.”

“But campaigns that encourage regular testing, early diagnosis and immediate treatment are less effective for those without Medicare access because the system isn’t working for them.”

“These new arrangements will grant all people who have HIV access to treatment and care, just as they will demonstrate Australia’s resolve to meet its HIV targets.”

For media comment, please contact: Nick Lucchinelli 0422 229 032

DOWNLOAD THIS SECTOR RELEASE [PDF]

NAPWHA Annual General Meeting and Members Forum 2021

November 22, 2021

Friday 26 November 2021 — 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

The NAPWHA Annual General Meeting and Members’ Forum 2021, will be held virtually online providing an important governance process for all NAPWHA member and associate member organisations, updates and giving members an opportunity to vote on a range of matters.

Image: The Special General Meeting members forum held in May 2021

Executive Director’s Report 2021

NAPWHA Executive Director, Aaron Cogle presented a Executive Director Report to members at the AGM 2021.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION SLIDES

President’s end-of-year report

2021 – what a year! Appropriately, it’s ending with a bang!

World AIDS Day Announcement – $39 Million Over 5 Years – for PLHIV who are ineligible for Medicare

This partnership between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories delivers on the Minister’s commitment at World AIDS Day last year to seek a solution to this long-standing problem.

NAPWHA Board Announcements

NAPWHA Vice-President, Sarah Feagan, made announcements of new changes to the NAPWHA Board, including the welcomed appointment of Justin Xiao, and re-appointment of Simon O’Connor. Warm thanks and acknowledgements were made to Board members stepping down: Michael Brown and Secretary-Treasurer, Chris Howard.

Justin Xiao currently works at ACON as a Community Health Promotion Officer overseeing the Sexualised Drug Use project. His intersectional lived-experience also extends his work into HIV and Asian Gay Men’s programs, including a project in collaboration with NAPWHA for the implementation of the Positive Asian Network Australia (PANA), established in 2021. Justin moved to Australia from China in 2007 and has lived in Sydney and Toronto, Canada since then. Over the years, he has been involved in a number of community organisations supporting people living with HIV and people who have sought out support for their substance use.

In the recent NAPWHA campaign marking ‘40 Years of HIV: Where to Next‘, Justin Xiao speaks of the importance of representation of diverse voices. “It’s time to focus on providing culturally appropriate care to PLHIV who are often ‘left behind’ or ‘hard to reach’. While the science of U=U has changed the ways we live with HIV, stigma and fear isn’t over yet. We must continue to create spaces where all PLHIV feel encouraged to be their best selves, and we demand those spaces.”

Health Literacy Framework report back: Making peer networks happen

Video: NAPWHA Project Officer, Eloise Monteiro presented as part of a Health Literacy Framework project report back to members at the NAPWHA AGM 2021. Community Advocates from the project made announcements of new NAPWHA-auspiced national networks: Jimmy Chen of Positive Asian Network Australia (PANA); Anth McCarthy of HetMAN Australia (Heterosexual Men Advocacy Network); and Cristian Cortes of Positive Latinx Australian Network (PLAN)

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION SLIDES

NAPWHA Annual Report 2021

Download the NAPWHA Annual Report 2021

World AIDS Day 2021

This World AIDS Day 2021, NAPWHA will be marking the significance of our ongoing advocacy, representation, policy, and health promotion for people with HIV through a campaign reflecting on the Australian theme of 40 Years of HIV: Where to Next?

World AIDS Day community champions reflect on ’40 Years of HIV: Where to Next?’

November 22, 2021

While Covid-19 continues to impact our lives, it is now the time when we should mark the 40th anniversary since HIV was first reported by the CDC; thus, beginning our journey on the profound impact that these two viruses have made on the community and our collective resilience. This World AIDS Day 2021, NAPWHA marks the significance of our ongoing advocacy, representation, policy, and health promotion for people with HIV through a campaign reflecting on the Australian theme of 40 Years of HIV: Where to Next?

This campaign features forty diverse, impactful, and galvanising quotes, one for each year since it first was reported – all of which share hopes, aspirations, and a call-to-action as we enter a new decade of the HIV response. In the lead-up to World AIDS Day on 1 December, NAPWHA will post more of these messages from community of people living with HIV, and the people who have dedicated their lives to research, advocacy, and clinical care alongside us.

We encourage you to share, follow us on this journey through quotes and support your local World AIDS Day events & HIV organisations.

Find a World AIDS Day event near you

See also our previous World AIDS Day campaigns:

Resilient ageing and end-of-life planning among people living with HIV

November 5, 2021

As part of the 2021 Australian Social Policy Conference, a number of leaders, representing a diverse community service provision network, were invited to offer their insights and further case studies to improve ageing and aged care policy and practice for people living with HIV (PLHIV).

“Given the high numbers of people who will be ageing and living longer with HIV, we have identified HIV and ageing as one of the new frontiers of the HIV epidemic,” said NAPWHA National Research Manager, Dr John Rule, speaking of the NAPWHA resource published in 2019.

“It is urgent that health and social policy responses be developed to support the needs of this group. In this #ASPC session, presenters from various Australian jurisdictions report on service responses that have a unique HIV peer-support component.”

This session was chaired by Associate Professor Limin Mao (UNSW Centre of Social Research and Health) with the video recording released with kind permission to NAPWHA allowing for further dissemination to our community-based PLHIV organisational members across all Australian States and Territories, and for those who were unable to attend.

The conference, hosted by the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre and held online from 25 October to Friday 5 November, addressed contemporary issues in the context of ongoing health and social policy themes with session conveners from across Australia.

PLHIV ageing and end-of-life planning: a researcher’s perspective

Video: Dr Kerryn Drysdale (Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney) presenting on an Australian Department of Health-funded project, entitled ‘Resilient Ageing and End-of-Life Planning among people living with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C or HIV (BBV-RAEL)’. Key findings focusing on HIV, ageing and end-of-life planning will was presented, based on in-depth interviews and the online Delphi consensus building with the project’s key stakeholders.

Download the Presentation Slides [PDF]