AIDSCoalition

The AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia's mission is to promote and support the health and well being of persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and to reduce the spread of HIV in Nova Scotia

Official web site: http://www.acns.ns.ca

Timeline

Here are some significant dates and events of the HIV/AIDS movement in Nova Scotia

1978

• GaetanDugas was a resident of Metro Halifax from 1978-1982, and later gained notoriety as the first reported North American AIDS case, called Patient Zero

1979

• Increasing outbreaks of uncommon pneumonia, cancers and other ailments among homosexual men in both Los Angeles & New York City causing doctors to become alarmed
• It is dubbed 'gay plague' and referred to as Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID)

1982'

• Outbreaks are re-named Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS
• Transmission is linked to blood.
• First Canadian AIDS case is reported to the federal government.
• Gay Men's Health Association of Halifax forms

1983

• Transmission is linked to sex
• American & French scientists discover the virus associated with AIDS; it is latter dubbed Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV

1984

• What began as gay men's health crisis becomes MacAIDS? (Metro Area Committee on AIDS) and incorporates the same year

1985

• A small group of HIV positive gay men begin to gather in a Halifax kitchen seeking personal and emotional support
• A test is developed to show the presence of HIV
• Canadian Red Cross begins screening blood in November
• MacAIDS? takes on a provincial focus and becomes AIDS Nova Scotia

1986

• First Canadian AIDS Society Annual General meeting
• MacAIDS? launches its Get It Undercover campaign
• Teacher EricSmith is diagnosed

1987

• A medication known as AZT receives approval as a treatment for AIDS.
• EricSmith goes public with his story after being removed from his teaching position by the government as it bowed to public pressure

1988

• Nova Scotia Persons With AIDS Coalition (NSPWAC) is formed with its focus on support and advocacy
• Nova Scotia Task Force on AIDS is formed
• at the Canadian Conference on AIDS in Toronto, community groups organized to demonstrate lack of federal leadership which would lead to the development of a National AIDS Strategy
• First AIDS Vigil is held in Halifax.
• First Bid For Life Fundraising Auction is held

1989

• First phase of National AIDS strategy is announced
• National Advisory Commission on AIDS (N.A.C.AIDS) is formed
• NSPWAC receives federal funding and opens its Halifax office on Gottingen Street
• First Names Project display in Nova Scotia

1990

• NovaScotiaAdvisoryCommissionOnAIDS is formed
• A needle exchange begins at NSPWAC
• Valley AIDS Concern Group is formed
• Pictou County Women's Centre sponsors a Women and AIDS Project
• First Atlantic AIDS Network meeting held
• SteppingStone launches HIV/AIDS outreach program

1991

• World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 10,000,000 people are HIV-positive
• Black Outreach Project is formed, funded and begins consultation process
• Pictou county AIDS Coalition is formed
• AIDS Coalition of Cape Breton is formed
• NS Provincial AIDS Counseling and Support Conference takes place at Oak Island
• On the Eve of World AIDS Day (November 30), local resident RandyConnors? and his wife JanetConnors? go public with their story of how Randy, a hemophiliac, became infected through receiving tainted blood
• Announcement of Women and AIDS Project is made on World AIDS Day
• The Men's Project is funded for a year.

1992

• NS Women and AIDS Project receives funding
• George Moody announces approval for compensation funding making Nova Scotia the first province in Canada to compensate recipients of tainted blood
• Nova Scotia becomes the first place in the world to approve and compensate persons secondarily infected
• Global Network of PHAs (GNP) is formed
• Nova Scotia Strategy on AIDS is formed
• Canadian AIDS Society Annual General Meeting is held in Halifax
• The Men's Project is not funded.

1993

• WHO predicts that an estimated 40,000,000 persons will be infected by the year 2000
• National AIDS Strategy - Phase II is announced
• JanetConnors? & RandyConnors? receive Human Rights Award - Oct. 29th
• Federal Government slashes funding and announces that, in Nova Scotia, only one provincial AIDS organization will be funded
• The Men's Project is funded for another year.

1994

• Anonymous Testing begins in Halifax
• AIDS Nova Scotia (ANS) and NSPWAC move into the same office in September to begin the amalgamation process
• The Survival Training Program begins its research action project
• TerryMartin, long-time NSPWAC board member and educator dies
• GrantMacNeil?, long-time board member of ANS dies
• RandyConnors?, Dartmouth hemophiliac activist for a safe blood supply and compensation, dies
• The Men's Project Outreach Crew is formed, headed by NedMacInnis?, providing outreach to MSM in cruising areas.

1995

• Canadian developed drug 3TC is approved as an AIDS treatment
• Combination Therapy is considered the current method of treatment
• Introduction of protease inhibitor drugs begin to show promising results in viral suppression
• Researched based Survival Training Project funded for a second phase
• Gay and Positive Men's Group (GAP Men) forms
• Names Project display in Pictou County takes place
• ANS and NSPWAC amalgamate to form ACNS on July 6th
• WilsonHodder launches his court challenge for same-sex spousal benefits
• The Men's Project is renamed the Men'Sex Project and takes on a bold new image under the direction of James Shedden.

1996

• 1.3 million persons have full blown AIDS (18,000 of whom are Canadian)
• 4.5 million have died globally
• Survival Training Project begins its second phase-renamed the Art of Positive Living Program
• The Atlantic Regional Treatment Information Project begins
• Gay Men and Alcohol Project (GMAP) commences
• Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) launches its internet site the network in May
• International Conference on AIDS announces approval of protease inhibitors as standard AIDS therapy

1997

• By March, CATIE had delivered over 250,000 documents from its Internet site
• ACAP funds next phase of Men's Project and the third phase of the Women and AIDS Project
• ACNS begins its advocacy campaign for a third phase of the National AIDS Strategy. During the federal election, funding for this third phase was announced

1998

• Phase III of the National AIDS Strategy begins
• ACNS chairperson WilsonHodder wins his court challenge to secure same-sex spousal benefits (May 26th) after the loss of his partner, TerryMartin, to AIDS
• WHO release its latest predictions that by the year 2000...10,000,000 people will have AIDS and 40,000,000 will be HIV positive
• Health Canada announces that future AIDS funding is to be 'A-based'
• The Men's Project is funded for it's final year.

2000

• WilsonHodder dies peacefully in his home
• The List of Names is growing shorter

2002

• ACNS prepares to receive a $30,000.00 cut in its federal funding from Health Canada

2002 & on...

• NEED MORE UPDATED INFO

2010

• November: Moved to 1668 Barrington Street

HistoryProjectTodoList: should have some history of this organization here.