Regional and Rural NSW

Positive Life Peer Support is available to all people living with HIV in the mid North Coast and Northern NSW by contacting Positive Life NSW at (02) 8357 8386 or 1800 245 677 (freecall)

Positive Life regularly travels to regional, rural and remote locations in NSW to offer a minimum of four rural outreach sessions per year, to listen and hear what it’s like for people living with HIV in regional and rural areas of NSW. We do this in partnership with local health district HARP units, sexual health services and state-wide services.

At these outreach sessions we offer people living with HIV an opportunity to sit down and talk with someone else living with HIV, and share stories and strategies. These sessions also help to put people living with HIV in contact with health service providers, offer information and resources to people living with HIV including HIV and sexual health service partners, as well as build the capacity of people living with HIV to live well with HIV.

Examples of rural and regional outreach conversations include questions like

what are your main challenges living with HIV in a rural or regional setting?
what advocacy do you want or need?
what barriers do you have living with HIV in a rural or regional setting?

Currently planned

TBA

Earlier consultations

Rural and regional consultations are often attended by people out-of-area who travel to avoid risk of community disclosure. Issues raised during these discussions include the intersection of HIV and racism, stigma and discrimination, obtaining correct and timely information about HIV, tenancy and domestic violence issues, and dispensing fees charged for HIV medication. Discussions with clinical staff highlight an increasing blurring of sexual orientation especially amongst young people. Common community pharmacy issues continue to be the cost of stocking HIV medications, while many community pharmacies were happy to provide this service when approached by people living with HIV.