AIDS Calgary Awareness Association: Leading Educators, Healthcare Practitioners, and Policy Makers to Gather in Calgary to Present and Discuss the Newest Harm Reduction Findings

Calgary, Alberta – May 13, 2013 – Organizers of the 12th Alberta Harm Reduction Conference (ABHRC) – to be held in Calgary from May 22 to 23 – have officially announced the conference theme and research program. The conference, led by AIDS Calgary Awareness Association (ACAA) and the Safeworks Harm Reduction Program, will bring together more than 350 of Alberta’s top educators, healthcare practitioners, and community leaders, and will include two major plenary presentations focusing on the paramount issues facing the provincial harm reduction response.

The 2013 ABHR Conference is being organized by local leaders from Safeworks and AIDS Calgary Awareness Association. The co-chairs chose the theme “Moving to the Mainstream” to highlight the fact that the innovative application of Harm Reduction principles amongst Alberta service providers who deal with populations vulnerable to hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS are urgently needed.

Throughout the past 13 years, Alberta service providers have handed the baton of hosting the conference each year in difference locations throughout the province. Since 2000, the Alberta Harm Reduction Conference has been one of a kind event in Canada. Each year, agencies, programs, individuals, groups, community members, and advocates throughout the world have joined together for this special conference and all participants leave with a new set of skills, knowledge and resources to bring home and share.

This year’s program will present new scientific knowledge on the major issues facing the global response to HIV. Featured plenary sessions will include:

• A Harm Reduction Panel with some of Canada’s leading harm reduction experts as they discuss what is new and happening in the world of Harm Reduction (Richard Elliott, HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Toronto; Susan Boyd; Barbara Ross, Safeworks, Calgary); and
• An overview of Harm Reduction Therapy (Dr. Pat Denning, Harm Reduction Therapy Center, San Francisco, California);

“ABHRC 2013 will be a tremendous opportunity for healthcare practitioners and community members from all over this province to share the latest advances in harm reduction findings and principles,” said Susan Cress, Executive Director, AIDS Calgary Awareness Association.

In addition, special sessions will include: overdose prevention; needles in prison; rural harm reduction; Canadian drug policy; women and harm reduction; Aboriginal people and harm reduction; youth and harm reduction; steroids; sex work; Drugs 101; hepatitis C and HIV; and housing.

Contact Information

AIDS Calgary Awareness Association
Jamie Schneider
Communications Coordinator
Direct: (403) 508-2581 or Mobile: (403) 616-0575
jschneider@aidscalgary.org
www.aidscalgary.org

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