Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users

Network participates in United Nations special session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS); Network welcomes 200th member; Listserv on legal, ethical and policy issues related to HIV/AIDS launched; Guiding principles for the Network's International Program adopted; Work on immigration and HIV/AIDS remains priority; Project News - HIV/AIDS in prisons; More work on mandatory HIV testing; Complementary health care; Work on vaccine issues; Other Network News; Network Staff updates; Important dates - upcoming HIV/AIDS skill-building workshops in Montreal; Comments and feedback request

Newsletter with articles entitled: Pivot's Housing Affidavit Campaign Kicks Off; Hope in the Shadows Calendar - Photo Contest Success; Pivot Events; Campaign News: Sex Work Report, Small Claims Booklet, Legal Co-op, and booth team increases visibility; RCMP Report: To serve and protect (who?); Pivot Staff and Directors - Who's Who?; Be a Pivot Partner; 10 Reasons to Support Pivot.

Policy analysis on the possible establishment and maintenance of safe injection rooms in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Interviews were conducted with community organizations and stakeholders working in the area of drug addiction. Community objectives for safe injection rooms included enhancing the social environment of the DTES; maximizing community health; maximizing community safety; ensuring economic viability in the DTES; and minimizing costs to the public. Stakeholders preferred a Community-Driven Model for a safe injection room program. This model, and its alternatives, are discussed, in terms of how they could be implemented in the DTES environment. A copy of the interview questions used with stakeholders, and a breakdown of each stakeholder's responses, is included with the document.

Presentation by the Canadian AIDS Society of the results of an interview study with community-based HIV, HCV and cancer movements to ask for their insights into the capacity-building needs of Canadian community-based organization with regard to becoming prepared for the possible emergence of an HIV vaccine. The presentation describes activities involved in developing 'vaccine preparedness'; the prerequisites for community involvement in vaccine advocacy and preparedness; the challenges of engaging the community in the long term; how vaccine preparedness fits on the prevention-care-support-treatment continuum; and the kinds of capacity, leadership and partnerships that are needed.