WCHC Hub History
Why was the Hub established?
The WCHC Hub, with funding through the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition, was established to promote the uptake of the WCHC Model, which would in turn address the gaps in current HIV care for women and gender diverse people. See our mission and vision page to learn more about how the Hub envisions, and intends to achieve, better health for women living with HIV.
See the short video from CATIE (Canada's leading source for information on HIV and hepatitis C) to learn more about the gaps in HIV care for women and how we can make a difference in the sector.
What is CHIWOS?
CHIWOS (The Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study) was a comprehensive, longitudinal study that ran from 2010 to 2018 to gather knowledge about women-centred HIV care in Canada. The aim of the study was to support the livelihoods and improve the health outcomes of women living with HIV.
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CHIWOS brought together three researchers from across Canada,
Dr. Mona Loutfy (Ontario), Dr. Alexandra de Pokomandy (Quebec), and
Dr. Angela Kaida (British Columbia), to each lead a core research team in a larger network of peer research associates, working groups, and advisory boards.
The study itself involved three stages:
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FORMATIVE: Assembled two sets of focus groups to a) determine community definitions and perceptions around women-centred HIV care (WCHC) and b) gather feedback in developing a community-based survey about WCHC to be nationally administered.
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SURVEY: Surveys were administered by peer research associates in three waves, reaching a total of 1,422 women living with HIV in Canada. Survey questions were about the WCHC, including knowledge gaps around HIV care for women and ways to improve health care and holistic well-being for women living with HIV.
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ANALYSIS: An ongoing phase in which teams continue to analyse the data available to meaningfully contribute to our growing knowledge of women and HIV.
CHIWOS not only inspired and informed the creation of women-centred HIV care, but it also supported a series of webinars (accessible below) and various publications over the years. To-date, over 60 articles have been published about or have been directly informed by CHIWOS, with articles continuing to be published to this day -- more than a decade after CHIWOS first began!
CHIWOS has transformed our understanding of women-centred HIV care and led to the creation of the WCHC model upon which our hub has been built.
The WCHC Model
The knowledge gathered from CHIWOS about women-centred HIV care (WCHC) was later used in the development of the Women-Centred HIV Care Model. To ensure holistic care under the WCHC Model, community members with lived experience with HIV must be involved and empowered in their own care. See the media below for more information on the model!