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The Care Salon is brought to you by:
The Care Collective is a coordinated campaign for and by African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) women promoting self-care by encouraging routine and regular HIV screening as part of our self-care routines. People in ACB communities account for just 4.7% of Ontario’s population but represent 24% of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV. ACCHO, together with our partners, is responding to this reality. Through this campaign, certified, professional HIV testers will visit a variety of self-care spaces to talk about HIV and offer free and confidential testing. Look out for the Care Collective at your local yoga studio, beauty salon, hiking group meet-up, church-group gathering, professional association meeting, etc.
If you would like a pop-up Care Collective event at your space, please contact us at: info@accho.ca
Our Resources
Why Get Tested?
HIV/AIDS is still a problem in Ontario’s African, Caribbean, and Black communities. But getting tested for HIV is a quick and simple process that can drastically improve infection rates. People who test positive for HIV, when diagnosed early, live healthy and productive lives. Testing is an essential self-care practice. Now, it’s easier than ever, with The Care Salon, the first program from The Care Collective.
- Even though ACB people make up only 4.7% of Ontario’s population, they account for 24% of individuals who were newly diagnosed with HIV.
- ACB women accounted for 53% of women who were diagnosed with HIV in Ontario with those numbers expected to go up.
- Women 35-39 years represented the most common age category among all women diagnosed with HIV in Ontario.
- Among all new HIV diagnoses by health regions, the number was four times higher in Toronto than other regions such as Ottawa and Central East areas including Peel, Durham, and York.
- 41.3% of all new HIV diagnoses within the Ottawa health region were ACB. In the Toronto health region, 27% of new diagnoses were among ACB people.
- ACB people are less likely to be engaged in care, be on HIV treatment, and have a suppressed viral load than non-ACB people in Ontario.
Getting Tested
HIV/AIDS services in Ontario are completely confidential. Ask service providers about
privacy and confidentiality policies.
The Sexual Health Information Line Ontario (SHILO) maintain an updated registry of HIV testing sites across Ontario. They offer services in 13 languages, and operate both a phone line and an online e-Chat service.
SHILO:
Toll-free: 1-800-668-2437
Local: 416-392-2437
Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Website: www.toronto.ca/health/SHILO
Self-care goes deeper than the skin. It’s about health at an individual and community level. Currently, women from African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities account for 53% of all Ontario women who test positive for HIV, and this number is expected to rise. That’s why The Care Collective is launching with The Care Salon— we are bringing ACB women together to make quick and simple HIV screening a part of our self-care routines.
The Care Salon Launch
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Want to know more about The Care Collective?
Sign up to receive information about planning your own Care event or to connect with one of our Care Strategists today!