Over 130 people came together in June to address the ongoing issue of stigma in health care settings and communities relating to blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections.
The Sexual Health and Viral Hepatitis Team at the Department of Health and Human Services has been hosting annual sector forums since 2012 and this year’s event was the most successful to date.
The event maintained a strong focus on the lived experiences of patients and clients living with a chronic illness caused by hepatitis B or C or HIV. Hearing directly from people about the stigma they have experienced in health care settings and their own communities provided a new dimension to the event, and a deeper understanding of the importance of breaking down stigma in this sector.
Previous years’ themes have tended to focus more on the workforce, with topics such as prevention, partnerships, strategy implementation and new testing and treatment models.
We encourage health service providers across Victoria to think about how they relate to their patients and clients in an interpersonal sense as well as in a clinical sense, and to actively try to avoid stigmatising language, behaviour and environments.
More information is available on the Victorian hepatitis B and C and HIV strategies here: Sexual health and viral hepatitis or Policy and legislation for sexual health and viral hepatitis.
Submit your story!