HIV Testing in the Digital Age: REACH Nexus @MAP Leads the Way
HIV Testing in the Digital Age: REACH Nexus @MAP Leads the Way
As International Testing Week approaches (November 18–24), the focus intensifies on making HIV testing accessible, stigma-free, and convenient for all. At REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, we’re pushing forward with innovative, practical programs to meet people exactly where they are.
Innovating for Impact: Unleashing Change in HIV Testing
To kick off Testing Week, we’re launching a powerful new pozcast episode titled Unleashing Change: Why HIV Testing Must Be Everywhere Now. Host James Watson leads a dynamic discussion with Mark Fisher from New Zealand’s Body Positive and Rick Galli of REACH Nexus, exploring the latest testing innovations and the urgent need to eliminate stigma around knowing your status.
The Global 95-95-95 Challenge: Where Are We Now?
In 2018, the United Nations introduced ambitious 95-95-95 targets to eliminate HIV by 2030:
• 95% of people with HIV diagnosed
• 95% of those diagnosed on antiretroviral therapy (ART)
• 95% of those on ART achieving viral suppression
This last milestone emphasizes Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U), a key concept showing how achieving an undetectable viral load protects health and prevents transmission.
The Urgency for Testing: Reaching Undiagnosed Canadians
Over 7,000 Canadians with HIV remain undiagnosed—a critical gap we must address to end the epidemic. By ramping up access to testing, especially through free, government-supported self-testing, we empower people to check their status privately, at their convenience, and without fear of stigma.
Highlighting REACH Nexus Programs
International Testing Week allows REACH Nexus to join the global movement for accessible, stigma-free HIV testing. We are working to make HIV self-testing a routine, judgment-free part of health care, reaching those who need it most.
Here’s a look at our groundbreaking programs that make HIV self-testing available anywhere, anytime...
The I’m Ready program empowers Canadians to access HIV testing on their terms, through a mobile test app. Developed in 2021 soon after Canada approved its first HIV self-test, this app has been a game-changer for people who want to test privately and comfortably and provides clear pathways to linkage to care in all provinces and territories in Canada.
To date, I’m Ready has reached more than 10,000 Canadians and has distributed over 23,000 test kits. We estimate that we have reached over 100 people to know about their HIV-positive status through testing and provide them with resources to get connected to care. Accessible, user-friendly, and discreet, I’m Ready is leading the way in removing the barriers traditionally associated with testing.
What you Need to Know:
● HIV Rates Rising in Canada: With a 24.9% increase in new diagnoses from 2021 to 2022, the need for accessible testing is crucial.
● Reaching the Undiagnosed: An estimated 11% of people with HIV in Canada don’t know their status, underscoring the need for digital innovative testing options like I’m Ready that can reach these individuals.
● Reaching Key Populations and New Testers: I’m Ready offers a free, low-barrier HIV self-test with health navigator support, attracting many first-time testers (33%) and those who haven’t tested in over a year. Notably, 78% of testers belong to key populations that can be affected by HIV, ensuring the program reaches those who need it the most.
● Impact: With a 1.3% positive rate, I’m Ready has helped reach previously undiagnosed individuals connect to care, showing a year-over-year increase in positive rates—a clear sign the program is reaching those most in need.
HIV self-testing is a game changer! Once you know your status and get the supports you need, you can rise to your potential, regardless of outcome….
–– James Watson, Host/Producer, pozcast, Manager Peer Training and Stigma Initiatives, REACH Nexus
I AM creates opportunities for face-to-face interactions between testers and local community-based organizations. Supported by initial funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and through partnerships with three national organizations (Community-Based Research Centre, the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) and CAAN (Communities, Alliances & Networks) and more than 400 local agencies, I AM has distributed more than 195,000 test kits, reaching close to 80,000 people across Canada – with 45% of people testing for the 1st time.
The program’s broad distribution has ensured that over 280,000 self-test kits are accessible in community settings, with 70% of this total reaching individuals across Canada, creating a safe and supportive environment for individuals to test with the guidance and support of community peers.
What You Need to Know:
● Multiple Ways to Access Tests: Testers can receive tests through community-based organizations, harm reduction centres, community testing events, health clinics, pharmacies, shelters, mobile vans and the IAM website. I AM brings testing to wherever people need it in provinces, territories, and urban and rural areas.
● Engaging First-Time Testers: Nearly half (45%) of I AM users are testing for the first time. Among youth under the age of 25, six out of ten were first-time testers.
● Real-Time Insights: Geographic and demographic data help I AM understand where testing is needed most, ensuring resources are focused in the right areas.
● Support from the Community: With strong support and mobilization from African, Caribbean and Black and Indigenous communities, I AM continues to expand its impact and reach those who benefit most.
Respect yourself: this body our spirit lives within. Protect yourself: I got tested, am on treatment. I am thriving. Happy and healthy.
–– Trevor Stratton, Indigenous Leadership Policy Manager, CAAN
Our Healthbox is redefining accessibility with interactive vending machines stocked with harm reduction and sexual health supplies. Currently available in four provinces, Healthboxes have reached over 6,000 Canadians, providing nearly 1,000 HIV self-tests and over 1,200 naloxone kits, all in judgment-free, community-based locations.
With 10 Healthboxes already installed and plans to expand further, this program is making strides to ensure health resources are accessible for all.
What You Need to Know:
● Addressing a National Crisis: In 2023, Canada saw its deadliest year from opioid-related harms, with most fatalities among young men aged 30-39. Our Healthbox helps support those at risk by offering harm-reduction supplies and health resources.
● Interactive, Smart Dispensing Machines: Located in community-based organizations, Our Healthboxes are easy to use, anonymous, and customized with input from the host organizations on what supplies to include.
● A Full Health Experience: Beyond free supplies, each Healthbox offers community announcements, optional surveys, health education, and a directory of local health services, helping people connect to further care.
● Real-Time Data and Insights: Data is shared in real-time via dashboards, allowing communities and health providers to stay informed and make timely, data-driven decisions.
● Making an Impact: From January 2023 to June 2024, Our Healthboxes had 63,000 visits, with 51,000 items viewed and over 20,000 supplies accessed. The program saw high engagement, with 16,000 surveys completed and 4,000 sign-ups.
● Positive User Feedback: 80% rated their Our Healthbox experience as good to excellent, 70% felt it improved their health, and 75% would recommend it to others, proving its impact on individuals and communities alike.
Our Healtbox contains more than just health and harm reduction supplies, as impressive as that is. This box contains compassion.
–– Miriam Gartland, Director of Corporate Services, Carlington Community Health Centre
A Collective Push for Accessible HIV Testing: Join the Movement
As International Testing Week arrives, REACH Nexus is committed to breaking down barriers to make HIV testing accessible, stigma-free, and empowering. With tools like I’m Ready, I AM, and Our Healthbox, we’re integrating self-testing and care connections as an everyday healthcare norm, reinforcing the life-saving message of U=U.
Alongside COCQ-SIDA, the Canadian member of Coalition Plus, we’re part of a worldwide effort to expand access to testing. Coalition Plus unites over 100 organizations globally during Testing Week, amplifying the call for accessible, judgment-free testing as a standard part of health care for all.
Take Action Today!
The Canadian government has pledged to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030, distributing self-test kits to those in need. Yet, despite this success, funding has ended, leaving the future of self-testing in Canada uncertain. Canada cannot afford to become the first G7 country to halt a proven public health initiative.
Support us by urging renewed government funding—contact your local representative today! Together, we can make HIV testing routine, ensuring accessible, culturally safe care and prevention services for all. Let’s move toward a future where no one is left behind, and HIV is no longer a public health threat.
Take the time to learn, to know the uncomfortable. Don’t allow stigma to dictate your health. Get tested, practice proper prevention methods, and normalize these conversations so they don’t become uncomfortable.
