New sponsors announced for Conference

Gold Sponsor:

Silver Sponsor:

Bronze Sponsor:

Pre-Conference Workshop: In Depth Details!

The lack of culturally appropriate and respectful health services creates a gap in the continuity of care for Aboriginal people. Disrespectful treatment and the imposed western model that shape indigenous peoples' experiences with the health care system is a significant barrier to health equity.

Health services for Aboriginal communities need to provide respectful care that is based on a community framework of health. Strategies to meet these goals include applying indigenous concepts of health and wellness in health care policy and practices, including integrating traditional health and healing knowledge to inform service delivery.

The workshop will include presentations from experts in the field as well as from health programs that bring together service providers and communities to provide culturally safe models of care. The aim of this workshop is to:

·         Discuss practical and ethical issues in providing culturally safe health services

·         Increase accessibility of knowledge on issues and practices in cultural safety

·         Discuss strategies for creating culturally safe health services through examples

·         Identify community-based research priorities to examine culturally safe health care

·         Facilitate the creation of materials to support culturally safe care

FCV Sponsor Health Break

False Creek Ventures (FCV) is Vancouver's leading edge Social Media agency.  Co-creators for the highly successful HIV awareness campaign 'It's Different Now' (www.itsdifferentnow.org), Steve Parks and his dedicated team, have sponsored a health break at the Victoria Conference.  Look out for the IDN booth at Conference.  Thanks FCV for your continued support of CANAC and HIV awareness!

Bristol-Myers-Squibb Canada announced as Gold Sponsor!

The conference committee is delighted to announce that Britsol-Myers-Squibb Canada are confirmed Gold Sponsors for the XX Annual National Conference.  Thank you to our colleagues at BMS for your continued support of CANAC.

Summer Sage kick off the Conference

Laura Langstaff and her sister Melissa Hall perform under the banner, Summer Sage. Métis history and culture come alive for audiences everywhere as the two women perform Langstaff's original songs punctuated by stories that speak to their roots.  

Entertaining audiences with their genetically matched harmonies and humorous Métis perspectives and anecdotes. The sisters strongly believe that humour and music are two necessary tools in bridging gaps and building bridges of understanding among diverse cultural groups.  CANAC is extremely excited to have Summer Sage performing at the Opening Ceremony of the 20th Annual National Conference.  Don't miss out!   

http://www.myspace.com/therielsummersage

Scholarships Announced

St Paul's Hospital Foundation is providing 2 full scholarships for nurses working at St Paul's Hospital Vancouver to attend the conference.  Selected from the Acute Medicine and Acute Mental Health Programs, the nurses will have the opportunity to learn more about HIV/AIDS and develop knowledge and skills which will benefit their patients, themselves and their teams.

The British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is offering 2 full scholarships for nurses working in the province of Saskatchewan, which is facing a shocking increase in new HIV infections.  A nurse from Saskatoon and a nurse from Regina will be selected by draw for this exciting and timely opportunity.

Pre-Conference Day takes shape!

We are delighted to announce that the Pre-Conference Workshop on Sunday May 13th 2012, is being created and hosted in partnership with the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research, University of Victoria.

Entitled "Cultural Safety: From Training to Implementation" the pre-conference day will be a forum for sharing perspectives on what it means to have health services that are 'culturally safe'.  Plenary speakers and group workshops will take place, and the outcome of the day is to inform a community based research agenda for cultural safety in health care, and support CANAC is developing a Position Statement.  

The day will be very appropriately celebrated at the CANAC 20th Annual National Conference Opening Ceremony at the First People's Gallery in the Royal BC Museum.