Annual Report - People Living with HIV/AIDS South Australia

PositiveLifeSAAnnual Report2011- 2012Opportunity | Equity | Acceptance

ContentsWho We ArePositive Life SABoard Members2011/2012Staff Members2011/2012ReportsPresident’s ReportVice-President’s ReportExecutive Office’s ReportExecutive Assistant’s ReportHealth Promotions Officers’ ReportAcknowledgementsAuditor’s Reportpage 4page 5page 8page 10page 11page 14page 16page 21page 23page 26page 28

WhoWe ArePositive Life SAPLWHA (People Living with HIV & AIDS)was established by a series of community meetingsin early 1995 and was successfully incorporated onthe 26th April 1995. The organisation thus becamean independent voice for HIV positive people inSouth Australia to ensure their lived experiencesdirected the provision of effective health andwellbeing support services and activities.The organisation has since become known asPositive Life SA & continues its mission toimprove the lives of people effected by HIV.the principles underpinning ‘GIPA’ (GreaterInvolvement of People Living with HIV; UN 1994)and actively seeks to involve and sustainHIV positive people across all aspectsof the organisation.Positive Life SA fully supports the NAPWADeclaration of Rights which was launched atthe conference held in Adelaide 2005.As a peer driven organisation, Positive Life SA islead by a community elected HIV positive Boardand has grown from modest beginnings to becomean integral provider of information, advocacy andsupport to positive people across the state.Since July 2009, Positive Life SA has beenreorientating its service provision from individualclient services to a population health promotionapproach involving the delivery of lifestyleengagement and change management programsthat build HIV positive people’s capacity for selfmanagement and increased quality of life.Positive Life SA adheres to the keystone principlesand practices of the Ottawa Charter (1986) and theJakarta Declaration (1997), and actively works tobalance the wishes and needs of individuals withthe longer term issues affecting the wellbeing,longevity and quality of life for all positive people.Additionally, Positive Life SA is committed to4 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

BoardMembersJuly 2011 to July 2012

Tony PresidentI have been a dedicated and active member within the HIV Positive community since1996. I started at Rosemont in the PLC kitchen as the Dessert Chef, Retreat Coordinatorand Co-Editor of Positively Talking (PT). I nominated for the Board as an OrdinaryBoard Member and eventually took on the role as Secretary and full time Editor of PT.I have held roles as Vice-President, Acting President, to my current role as President.For the last 7 years I have been an active representative for South Australia at theNational Association of People with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA). I have been passionateand committed to my role as a Board Member and President of Positive Life SA.This has been evident with my receiving the GALA Award for leadership in 2006.As an openly HIV positive person I believe I am approachable and a majority of thecommunity know me and I hope they trust me.Katherine Vice PresidentI graduated with a TAFE Certificate in Child Care in 1980 with a dream of one daymanaging my own Early Childhood Development Centre. Diagnosed HIV positive andpregnant in 1987 while working as a trained Child Care Worker, I managed to completea Bachelor of Social Science, Child Care Specialisation. It was ten years on until I becameaware of the existence of HIV services and organisations. I joined the PLWHA SABoard in 1996. As a result of becoming a Positive Speaker in SA I attended a NAPWAConference in Sydney. I can reflect on this time as a key turning point. In awe of thedynamic positive community I met, I soon engaged at many levels both local andnational. As an openly positive woman I am serious about increasing the visibility ofpositive women in Australia and ensuring their voices are heard and strengthened.Kristin Board MemberI am passionate about volunteering and hope I bring humour to my position. I am honestand caring and quite the sci-fi nerd. I have been with the organisation for approximately5.5 years. First, I was the nervous client. Then, through a lot of prompting joined theBoard 3.5 years ago. Between being a client and a board member, I became a volunteer inthe HIVE- this enabled me to tackle the loneliness I was feeling and gave me a sense ofpurpose. I am looking forward to empowering our community via our Health PromotionModel. My achievements include an Award for Outstanding Year 12 Student to learningto live well with peripheral neuropathy and everything kooky in between. I like baking,bicycling, painting, drawing, movie critiquing, Sci-Fi, reading, swimming and laughing.Derick Board MemberI have been HIV positive since 1988 when I was infected at the age of 16 years old.Being HIV positive was the impetus for me to embark on a career in healthcare as aRegistered Nurse and health industry trainer. Early in my nursing career (1993 and94) I nursed patients in St Vincent’s Hospital (Sydney) who were dying or who wereextremely sick with HIV/AIDS related complications. Following this, my career sawme define myself as a drug and alcohol nurse and an emergency department nurse.I have an Advanced Certificate in Nursing and a Bachelor of Nursing. I also have anumber of other professional qualifications. I am currently undertaking further tertiarystudy at present. I am passionate about education and self determination with regards todecreasing stigma, discrimination, housing, income, education and health care.6 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

David Board MemberI have always worked in service industries of one kind or another. Both in the “field”and also in management. This also includes operating my own business for a number ofyears. After a number of years of using some of the great services provided by PLWHASA, I decided to volunteer and try to give back some of the help that I had been given.In 2006 I started as a transport driver one day a week. I was invited to consider joiningthe Board. I have found the Board to be a very interesting and |rewarding experience andwould recommend it to any other eligible member of Positive Life SA.Ian Board MemberHi guys, My first year on the Positive Life Board and I’m looking forward to itimmensely. I’ve been working in the HIVE on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and reallyenjoy it. I think its possibly the most important project here. So if you’d like to sayhello or have anything to contribute just come in and do so. You’ll find me friendly andapproachable so I look forward to helping you with any questions you may have andpossibly be able to help you out. Having been HIV+ since 1981 and sharing my pad withbob goldsmith I think I know how it is to deal with being a long-time survivor. I’ve a lotof interest in the HIV arena and worked with many groups, boards etc in NSW and here.Kym Board MemberKym worked for Bank SA for 10 years travelling the State in his capacity as relief staff.At the same time he attended University part time to study Accounting and Commerce.After moving to Sydney he worked for Canon Australia as the Assistant to the ChiefAccountant and Finance Director for a further 10 years. While in NSW he finishedhis degree at Macquarie University and also gained a Diploma in Foreign CurrencyManagement. He likes studying and numbers! After moving back to Adelaide in 1998Kym retired from ‘professional’ work and began his long volunteering career. Kym hasbeen volunteering for PLSA since 2003, first as driver and also as receptionist. Kymhas been on the Board of the organisation since 2004, first in the Office Bearer role ofTreasurer until 2010 when he became an Ordinary Board member.Matthew Board MemberI have always enjoyed volunteering, and being benevolent. My involvement with theHIV community started not long after the ‘Grim Reaper’ campaign. Gay men swunginto action; closely followed by LBTI people from ‘all walks of life’. My calling wasto answer phones at Gayline. The year was 1987. Six years ago I became a client and avolunteer at PLWHA -SA. As a transport driver, I was able to give back something tothe organization that supported me then as it does now. I was rewarded with a sense ofpurpose and much satisfaction. Now that organization is known as Positive Life SA. Itsmain role is education, and a connection with the wider HIV+ community. I’ve had 15years living with HIV and previous service to the board (2008-2009). That allows me tobring a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the boardroom. My commitmentand dedication is as strong now as ever. I look forward to my role on the board, andservice to PLSA as a challenging adventure.PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/20127

StaffMembersJuly 2011 to July 2012Rob Executive OfficerAs the Executive Officer (EO) I am responsible for the achievement of Positive Life SA’sstrategic goals. As the senior employee, I undertake key advocacy, health promotion andcoordinating roles within and across government and non-government agencies towardsimproved service coordination and health outcomes for positive people. I came to work atPositive Life SA in 2009 in a change management role, I rejoined the organisation as theExecutive Officer in May 2010Suzi Health Promotion OfficerAs Health Promotion Officer I develop programs and services that promote peerinformation and support which is a central PLSA role. Strengthening the voice ofHIV positive people not only educates others; it also helps to reduce the stigma anddiscrimination faced by HIV positive people every day. I focuses on building up the peercapacity of Positive Life SA. So far, much of my work has involved further developingthe Positive Speakers Bureau. I joined the Positive Life SA staff in February 20118 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

Michelle Administrative OfficerAs the Administrative Officer I am responsible for the organisation’s financialmanagement and administrative matters as well as coordinating NILS, Clean NeedleProgram and Small Loans programs. I joined Positive Life SA as volunteer in May 2001and became a staff member in November 2002.Mark Treatments OfficerAs Treatments Officer I aim to provide clear, accessible information about HIVtreatments and other health issues for people living with HIV. This includesunderstanding how anti-retroviral drugs work, encouraging people to share theirexperiences of taking HIV meds, and being aware of the many other illnesses commonlyexperienced by people living with HIV. I share this information through TreatmentsForums, fact sheets, articles and a private Facebook page for poz gay men. I also talk withpeople individually about their treatment and health needs, and make sure that PLSAhas a good range of accurate, up-to-date pamphlets. After a long history of voluntarycontribution to Positive Life SA, I began work as a staff member in May 2012.Katia Executive AssistantAs the Executive Assistant I provide high level executive support service to the ExecutiveOfficer and Board of Management as well as identifying diverse short and long termfunding sources. I joined the Positive Life SA staff in 2010. Katia left PLSA on MaternityLeave in April 2012. Mark V took up her duties in April 2012.Tom Publications OfficerIn my role as Publications Officer, I work to provide visually based publishing andmarketing solutions for Positive Life SA. My duties involve maintaining and updatingthe PLSA website, editing and layout of Positively Talking and creating a look forPLSA numerous programs. I joined Positive Life SA in February 2012.Baden Reception (left PLSA June 2012)David Reception & Information Officer (left PLSA November 2011)Georges Health Promotion Officer (left PLSA February 2012)PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/20129

Reports

President’sReport Tony MingeThis year has been a difficult time and it hasn’t helpedwith many organisations being notified that there willbe a cut to their funding for 2012/2013. Positive LifeSA has had a significant cut to its budget to the tuneof $82,000 or 17% - this is more than the other sectororganisations. This will make it difficult to achievemany of our goals however, we will continue to dowhat we do with the limited funds.We now have a formal Position Statement oncriminalisation of HIV. This means we can engagein public debate on this issue, confident that we havea well researched, consistent position. This statementhas been a process involving the Board, Community,Sally Cameron and Staff via workshops over a 9 monthperiod. The Board finally developed a statement thatdoes justice to everyone’s ideas.2011 was the International Year of Volunteers + 10 andon December 5th PLSA held a celebration to recogniseand thank all of our current and past volunteers.Katherine Leane was the recipient of the PremiersAward, congrats to Kath.Poz Online @ PLSAWe have made significant changes to ouron-line presence over the last year and includes:The official PLSA website featuring useful advice,programs and updates for people living with HIV.We thank David Kavanagh for the initial set up anddesign and we thank Tom, our new PublicationsOfficer for updating and refreshing our easy to usesite www.hivsa.org.au.We are now supporting two separate HIV peoplewith their individual Blog and Facebook site. Havingenergetic people with time and skills to develop theseon-line resources has a positive affect for PLSA andthe positive community. These sites help us to be morewidely known and also the wider community of SouthAustralia. This includes: positivelives.org.au which is asite for inspirational blogs by, and about, peopleliving with HIV.Share your experiences and learn from others.www.facebook.com/SparkyPlugs is an online Facebookgroup exclusively for HIV positive gay men.PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012This group is hidden from view to the world ofFacebook users and requires you to make a friendrequest at the link site. Access is via the personalFacebook site of one of the administrators. This is asecurity measure to maximise the safety of guys on theactual Facebook site. This site provides the opportunityto connect with other positive people in SA, nationallyand around the world.R.I.P @ PLSARodney Junga-Williams passed away late November2011. Rodney will be remembered as PLWHA SA’sfirst Aboriginal president. He was also heavilyinvolved with our first 3-year strategic directiondevelopmental review. He will be sadly missed bythose who knew him.Sharon Cheney passed away on the 1st February 2012.Sharon was involved in many aspects throughoutthe community including women’s issues, advocacyand her many years on our Board. Sharon willbe sadly missed.NAPWAWe continue to support NAPWA in many ways,including, sending 2 reps to face to face meetings.The “Start the Conversation” campaign whichwas launched in May encouraged people to talk totheir doctors about the latest HIV treatments. It isunfortunate this campaign was mostly rolled out inthe eastern states with the remainder of the statesand territories promoting it through their newsletters.There are still people that consider taking HIVmedication does more harm than good. We knowwith many people, if HIV is left untreated it doesconsiderable damage. The aim of the campaign isto raise awareness, with the addition of datasupporting early treatment being helpful inmaintaining good health.Awareness @ PLSAWe continue to increase awareness around appropriateuptake of ART, getting tested for syphilis, gonorrhoea,and chlamydia amongst at risk populations, awarenessof NPEP in additional target populations and continueto debate issues around rapid testing. The needs ofan ageing plhiv, especially around accommodation11

The strength of having a communityelected and all HIV positive Board hasmeant a diverse representation on theBoard at all times and has ensured thatall HIV Positive people have a voice.President’sReport Continued...and home care, has been talked about at a Board levelhowever, due to funding cuts Positive Life SA areunable to take charge in SA. We continue to talk withlike minded orgs about how we can contribute.Collaboration @ PLSAWe support a collaborative work approach betweenthe Board and Staff, this has been achieved throughattending sector wide meetings and representation onvarious committees such as World AIDS Day/AIDSAwareness Week, the ACSA Board etc. The strengthof having a community elected and all HIV positiveBoard has meant a diverse representation on the Boardat all times and has ensured that all HIV Positivepeople have a voice.I would like to make a special mention of theAustralian Executor Trustees Ltd for the generousdonation of $4000 for our HIVE project. Positive LifeSA is privileged to have been selected as a recipientof the AET discretionary charitable trust program.This contribution will ensure our HIVE projectcontinues to provide food assistance and improve thequality of life for people living with HIV. AustralianExecutor Trustees provides a comprehensive rangeof investment management, estate planning andadministration, superannuation, accountancy andtrustee services. If you’d like to know more about AETor would like to make use of their services, visit theirwebsite - www.aetlimited.com.auPositive Life SA continues to be guided by ourorganisational vision of “Opportunity Equity andAcceptance”. There have been many changes andchallenges over the 17 years that Positive Life SA hasbeen representing and advocating on behalf of PositivePeople. We have come a long way and survivedbecause people have volunteered and dedicated theirtime and effort to our Organisation. In partnership,the Executive Officer and the Executive Managementteam have done an excellent job balancing the diverseneeds of our organisation, within the changed fundingframework, in meeting the needs of our clients andmembers, whilst complying with ever increasingGovernment regulations within a safe workplace.Thank YouAs with many community based organisations ourachievements would not be possible without theinvaluable commitment and drive of our dedicatedvolunteers. I would like to thank all the Board,Staff and Volunteers who have contributed to thisorganisation over the past year.I would also like to thank the Sponsors, the FundingBody, members and organisations throughout thesector for their continuing support.SA Board Member MeetingAttendance 2011/2012Tony Minge President - 10 of 11 meetingsKatherine Leane Vice President - 11 of 11 meetingsKym Eve Board Member - 2 of 11 meetingsDavid Larrett Board Member - 9 of 11 meetingsKristin Elliott Board Member - 9 of 11 meetingsDerick Burns Board Member - 8 of 11 meetingsMark Stephens Board Member - 9 of 9 meetingsRetired April 2012Joe Fisi Board Member - 6 of 7 meetingsMatthew Turnbull Board Member - 7 of 7 meetingsIan Frisby Board Member - 4 of 5 meetingsSteven Dewhirst Board Member - 3 of 4 meetingsRetired Oct 201212 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

405234405234PLSA Statistics2011-2012HIV Positive PeopleHIV Status UndisclosedHIV Negative / Status Unknown165 Men / 2 Trans-male469469165Women10Aboriginal25European/English6Other54433544UnknownAnglo-Australia129AfricanAsian639Total Members42New Members 2011-2012PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201213

Vice President’sReport Katherine LeaneIn this reporting period I am excited to reflect backon the 2011-2012 financial year and the effective healthpromotion, treatment, support and prevention work,activities and advocacy achieved. Positive Life SA(PLSA) considers the role of plhiv as central to allour work and actively upholds the GIPA principlesthrough actively involving positive people across alllevels of the organisation. “Nothing for us without us”As an organisation that continues to value peer drivendiverse community networks, we remain guided by ourcore values of self-determination and active memberparticipation. Currently we have a membership base of622 (390 positive members). There are many highlightsand while it is impossible to mention them all, thereare a few standing achievements from the past year– A respectful and valued working partnership withNAPWA the national peak organisation andvoice for plhiv.Based on the 2011 UN Declaration on HIV/AIDS andadvances in testing and treatment the Whittaker (2011)paper proposes revitalizing leadership across Australiawith increased commitment and action now in orderto maximize the impact of both HIV Prevention andTreatment being called the “Treatment asPrevention Revolution”.Increased reach of the re-vamped and extended PLSAwebsite, blogs, Facebook and the informative role ofour quarterly newsletter “Positively Talking”. PT isin high demand and filled with treatment and healtharticles and personal stories of diverse experiencesabout living as a person managing, juggling orstruggling with HIV in their life. We receive positivecomments about the impact telling real stories has,combined with the capacity for building resilienceand increasing the skills, strengths and resources thatpositive people can draw from.Continued building of our advocacy capacity andexpertise on relevant issues such as challenging HIVrelated stigma and discrimination, addressing povertyand the rising cost of living, and a focus on mentalhealth and its impact on overall quality of life.Taking the initiative and re-focusing on communityforums while incorporating treatments informationand updates provided valuable insight into effectivepartnerships. The NAPWA Chin Wag Roadshow and“Start the Conversation Today” campaign, enhancedour response to successful HIV prevention andtreatment, care and support work.Development of the PLSA Position statement onthe Criminalisation of HIV in Australia provided anexcellent background for future advocacy, knowledgeand skills building across the board and organisation.In addressing social opportunities and connectednessboth Planet Positive and POZ Day Out continue to besuccessful, well attended, and enjoyable programs.Flinders University Public Health student,Emma Jeffs, conducted extensive research on “TheHealth and Social Care Needs of HIV Positive SouthAustralians”. Based on a series of interviews withmembers and HIV sector workers Emma developed asurvey for future information and data collection.The benefit and expertise of two skilled HealthPromotion Officers and the vital role they takein systemic advocacy implementation and thedissemination of information with a treatmentor health and wellbeing focus has re definedwhat and how we work at PLSA.The role of peers and the power of the PositiveSpeakers Bureau (PSB) in providing HIV awarenesseducation and prevention information continues tomake a difference. The power of a lived personalstory in addressing HIV stigma and discriminationin mainstream, in health care settings and withinsecondary schools, colleges, university and TAFEcontinues to be highly effective. In this reportingperiod speakers addressed a total audience of 1039.PLSA participation at the roundtable discussion toaid development of the SA Health HIV and AgingFramework was important. In valuing our contributionand experiences we can determine best practice modelsof service delivery, care and support around chronicdisease progression, clinical care, psychosocial services,workforce development, and research.14 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

At PLSA we continue to prioritiselistening to all our membership and openly inviteand encourage participation by creating ongoingopportunities within an enabling environment.At the request of the Honourable Michael Kirbylate in 2011 we wrote an advocacy letter supportingthe valuable recommendations previously made bythe Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to CHOGM andstrongly advocated they avoid further delays in action.At PLSA we continue to prioritise listening to allour membership and openly invite and encourageparticipation by creating ongoing opportunities withinan enabling environment. We strongly believe inmobilisation and meaningful involvement of plhivwho choose to be mentors, champions or ambassadorsand “agents of change” in determining and galvanizingthe SA response to HIV in Australia.We have an amazing team of program volunteers,board members and staff who work from a positiveattitude, heart and spirit and are committed to workingwithin a human rights framework valuing everyindividual’s contribution. As PLSA has continued toengage and build connections with communities ofinterest we have seen an increasing expectation aroundactivism and social responsibility as an organisation.To effectively address our governance requirements,processes and behaviours the current board directedand participated in a formal accreditation process andsystem of Continuous Quality Improvement(CQI)As we continue to manage the changing culture,funding tensions and risk management the ExecutiveManagement Team (EMT) works effectively basedon a strong mutual respect for a team approachand open communication.I would like to acknowledge the diverse team of peoplewho volunteer at PLSA and have contributed close to4100 hours of work. The dedication and commitmentthat all volunteers, staff, board and members make toPLSA is inspiring, sincerely appreciated and thank you.Finally I end this annual report with an insightfulcomment made by one woman living with HIV ata recent forum and hope it inspires the membershipto take an active role or further involvement in yourcommunity and your organisation, Positive LifeSouth Australia.“Justbecauseyou arenot beingheard doesnot meanyou have tobe silent”PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201215

Executive Officer’sReportRob O’BrienAn Executive Perspective…I am sure the phrase, “Change is the only constant”,has been used thousands of times over to begin annualreports, but I don’t care… I want to use it! Changebeing the case, I say with much pride, that we haveat least remained consistent during these changingtimes. Our highly dedicated volunteers and staff haveconsistently provided quality services at PositiveLife SA, whether it be working in the HIVE orFriday lunch; working on reception, the newsletter oradministration; working as a Board Member or offeringother health and quality of life services and activities.Thank you to everyone for their unfailing support toPLSA and the positive community.Staffing - July 2011 to June 2012We started and finished the financial year with sixpart-time staff (equivalent to 4.1 full time people).However, we did have seven people come and goduring that time…changes! I warmly welcome the newstaff to PLSA and wish those who have left all the bestin their new pursuits.Who started the year with us…David Kavanagh - Reception and Information OfficerGeorges Oteng - Health Promotion OfficerKatia McAteer - Executive AssistantMichelle Depauw - Administrative OfficerRob OBrien - Executive OfficerSuzi Quixley - Health Promotion OfficerWho came to us during the year...Tom Green (Feb 12) - Publications OfficerMark Stephens (May 12) - Treatments OfficerMark Vandenhurk (Apr 12) - Executive Assistantcontract til April 2013Baden Whitworth-Beckman (Dec 11) - ReceptionistWho left us during the year...David Kavanagh (Nov 11) - Reception & Information OfficerGeorges Oteng (Jan 12) - Health Promotion OfficerKatia McAteer (Apr 12) - Executive Assistantmaternity leave until April 2013Baden Whitworth-Beckman (Jun 12) - ReceptionistPositive Life SA Services and ProgramsPLSA has provided a diverse range of services andprograms throughout the year for HIV positive people,others closely affected by HIV, personnel workingwith HIV positive people, and education for thegeneral population towards a more enlightened,healthy and inclusive community.At the core of our high quality of services andengagement are our highly skilled and highly dedicatedvolunteers, board members and staff. The collectivecontribution by everyone underpins the success of theorganisation and our effectiveness in supporting thepositive community.Peer Based EducationPLSA has run a number of successful programs andactivities this year with ‘peer-based education’ as aprime focus. Suzi Q’s “The Big Issues” forums were agreat opportunity for positive people to discuss lots ofthe day to day issues of living with HIV. Not only didthe forums create a sense of shared (HIV) experiencefor people, they also enabled us to document people’slived experiences and share these with other’s throughour website. Thank you to everyone who attendedand generously shared their thoughts,experiences and opinions.Speaking of our website (www.hivsa.org.au) … this hasalso undergone a massive change over the past twelvemonths. Initially through the work of David Kavanaghand then since February, by our new PublicationsOfficer, Tom Green (not the Drew Barrymore,Tom Green).Not only do we have a new look web site, but withthe expertise and commitment of a some positivecommunity members, there is now a HIV PositiveBlog site (www.positivelives.org.au) as well as a GayHIV Facebook site. These two new sites providepositive people with easier opportunities forinformation and support from other positive peopleand to develop/be part of a network of people.Thanks to Mark and Derick for their ongoing supportto on-line services.16 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

PLSA staged a number of other activities that enabledpositive people to swap ideas and information andoffer support. The Poz Café (held on Saturdaymornings every three months) had a small numberof people attend and talk about food and nutritionand about HIV/Hep C co-infection. Once again, theopportunity for positive people to talk to each other,share knowledge and expertise, is incredibly powerfuland has a lasting impact on the ‘listener’. Duringthe year, other activities included the Chat Cluband Poz Menz group. Chat Club is where one of ourpositive volunteers or positive speakers is ‘buddied’with someone newly diagnosed or newly inquiringabout their HIV. The role of positive people as peereducators is crucial to the success of supporting positivepeople to sustain good health and wellbeing.Quality of LifePositive Life SA has maintained its diverse range ofservices and activities based at the Positive LivingCentre (PLC), in Glandore. Thanks to the wonderfulgroup of volunteers working in the ComplementaryTherapies program who provided energy healing,remedial massage, reiki, aromatherapy massage,reflexology, and relaxation massage sessions to thePLSA members. We have also successfully continuedto run our $20 - Small Loan Scheme; Clean NeedleProgram; No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS); and RedRibbon Bobby Goldsmith Fund (currently meeting thecosts of Ambulance subscription to positive people on aHealthcare Card). Thanks to Michelle for her supportrole in providing these services.Similarly, our HIVE food support program has beenvery busy once again, with around 1350 shoppers to 30June 2012. Beyond nutritional support, access to theHIVE offsets some of the costs of daily living and, forsome positive people on low incomes, this means beingable to consistently meet the costs of HIV medicationswithout trading-off the purchasing of food. Ourweekly $5 Friday community lunch, in partnershipwith City of Marion, has been operating since June2010 and is still a popular and effective communityevent for people to connect with each other, to enjoya cost effective, nutritional and great tasting meal. Inthe last 12 months, the team of dedicated volunteershave served an amazing 1720 meals. Thanks to Claude,Richard, James, Kathy, Geoff, Richard, Desi, Pam,Dean, Ian and Albert for your tireless work providingthe lunches each week.PLSA plays a significant role in the lives ofmany positive people. Offsetting many financialpressures, people can access the HIVE, Friday lunch,complimentary therapies, small loans, NILS orRRBGF. Personal support is provided by our healthpromotion workers (Suzi and Mark) around a broadrange of issues, including employment, HIV disclosure,stigma and discrimination, emotional wellbeing,housing advocacy, legal issues, relationship matters etc.Having the right space (and the right people) to comeand talk is important to us all and is something that Iproudly believe the PLC provides with great success.During this last year, our health promotion staffalso provided 126 sessions of short term support toindividual people. The nature of short term support isto help resolve immediate issues for people, supportpeople to take their ‘next step’ to resolve their ownmatters, provide a place for people to ‘unload’ so theycan make other choices/take action, or just to be anopportunity to be heard . I believe the staff we havehad in this past year have proven themselves skilledlisteners and expert solution finders! Come andsee for yourself!Social IsolationHIV stigma, discrimination and fear, unwellness andfatigue all serve to distance people from each other andtake considerable energy to combat. Staging activitiesthat combat social isolation and support people tobuild (and maintain) connections with other (positive)people has underpinned many activities this past year.Our expressive arts program This Positive Life saw agroup of people take up the paint brush as well as thepen (for a few) culminating in an Art and Literatureexhibition at BLISS Organic Café in June. PlanetPositive has just completed its second year run andcontinues to engage with a regular crowd of around35 people. Each event attracts one or two new positivepeople making contact for the first time, often withouthaving known any other positive people. Thanks to theGeoff, Richard and Derick who work behind the scenesto make Planet Positive a success.PLSA has run a number of successfulprograms and activities this year with‘peer-based education’ as a prime focus.PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201217

Staging activities that combat socialisolation and support people to build (and maintain)connections with other (positive) people hasunderpinned many activities this past year.Executive Officer’sReport Continued...Also completing a successful second year is our POZDay Out family and friends BBQ lunch held in theApril and October school holidays. 78 people attendedthis year’s two POZ Day Out events. This activity hasbrought generations of family members together for thefirst time, made visible the significant role that manygay men play in the lives of their nieces and nephews,enabled many of our newly arrived members a relaxedspace to meet others, and all this with a measure offun, food, laughter and cupcakes! Food and laughterseem to be a key element within many of our othersuccessful activities staged during the year such as thePoz Men’s group, Friday lunches and even The HIVE,While the HIVE is certainly centred around food, formany volunteers it can also provide a (often muchdesired) break from their usual domestic routines, actas a motivator to get out of the house for a few hours,be a chance to connect with other positive people andat the same time to be part of something worthwhile –a winning recipe (there’s that food again!!) Thanks toTony, Warren, Geoff, Richard, Kristin, Ian, Dave, Leo,Mark and Chris for your continued support in keepingthe HIVE running.Our new look web site has certainly increased peopletraffic to our site, the number of people connectingwith us directly, or indirectly by attending eventsadvertised on the site. However, it is the newlydeveloped Blog and Facebook sites that are the realsuccess stories around social isolation. Developed andimplemented separately by two of PLSA’s positivecommunity, with some support from PLSA, the Blogsite has had nearly 100 000 visitors in its first year ofoperating. Thanks to Rick for his time and expertisein setting up and sustaining this site. Check it out atwww.positivelives.org.au and get blogging! Similarly,thanks to Mark for his commitment and enthusiasm insupporting a global gay men’s HIV positive Facebooksite. At 30 June 2012 there were 176 members; 19 (10.7%)from Australia; 12 (6.8%) from South Australia.With a total of 1010 posts made during this time and1168 comments, Aussies accounted for 148 of thetotal number of posts (South Australia = 99 (9.8%))and 215 of the total comments (South Australia = 99(8.4%). As this is a closed site, please contact PLSAfor information about how to get in touch with theAdelaide moderator.Treatments as PreventionThe past year has seen us pick up our effortsand invest renewed energy into HIV treatmentsinformation, directly in response to Bill Whittaker’s“call to Australia” to lead (once again) in the fightagainst HIV, to reduce transmissions dramaticallyand increase the number of positive people choosingtreatment options. Chin Wag was held in Februaryand was the first of four treatments forums plannedfor 2012. Staged by NAPWA’s Treataware TreatmentsProject, Chin Wag is hosted by Vanessa Wagner andNurse Nancy and runs as a community forum aroundHIV Treatments. In conjunction with ACSA, wewere able to book in a Chin Wag show for Adelaide inFebruary. Thanks to Vanessa, Nurse Nancy and theTreataware team for brining this show to Adelaide.Mark Stephens joined our team in May as the newTreatments Officer and contributed immediately tothe running of the second treatments forum around“The Realities of Living with HIV” There are twomore forums planned for the remainder of the yearand a further four already in development for 2013.These forums are a great way to find out the latestin HIV treatments and to once more, bring positivepeople together, share treatment/non treatmentexperiences, air opinions about treatments, HIV andlife! Interestingly, the forums have also attracted anumber of HIV negative people who are keen tobecome better informed, and to show support for thepositive community. Our other major treatments eventwas the Rural.Life+ weekend run by Suzi and Mark(already mentioned in the HPO report). Thanks toMark and Suzi for their creativity and expertise instaging the forums and the rural weekend.Public EducationClearly the long standing and highly regarded PositiveSpeakers Bureau is the main face of our public18 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

education and with support from Suzi Q, the PSBhas grown greatly this past year and attractedsome new speakers.The number of PSB events more than doubled in thisfinancial year to 33, up from 15 in 2010/11. PSB audiencemembers grew to 1039 this year, up 16% from 865 in2010/11. However, numbers represent only one part ofa story and it our speaker and their impact on audiencemembers that is truly the mark of success, from apublic education perspective.A couple of comments from people about the PSB are:delivering the message about HIV to my undergraduate studentsand that they are all richer for this experience. This increasedawareness of living with chronic disease is of great value to thestate healthcare system as these young professionalstransition into practice…” - Uni lecturer“PSB speakers were an excellent addition – provided insight intopersonal experience and also information about HIV”- EducatorThanks go to all our speakers who continually putthemselves out there in the public arena and telltheir story again and again, challenge stereotypes,stand up against HIV stigma and discrimination, andcontinuously support other people’s learning.A highlight of last year’s AIDS Awareness Weekwas our involvement at the politician and leadersbreakfast. Held at the Richmond Hotel (Rundle Mall),two of our positive speakers talked to a small group ofpoliticians and other sector leaders about the realitiesof living with HIV and the role government and othercommunity leaders could (should) play in changingpublic perception about HIV and in addressingsome of the financial pressures of living with HIVeg medication costs. Such was the genuine interestfrom politicians present that one of them went andimmediately afterwards booked the parliamentarydining room for a 2012 presentation, stating that allpoliticians should be present… our PSB speakers arecertainly looking forward to that opportunity!VolunteersLike so many other NGO/community basedorganisations, much of our work is provided freeof cost – work done by volunteers. In the past year,volunteers have given 4171 hours of their time - theequivalent of 556 working days! The board alone hascontributed 800 hours of time towards the governanceand guidance of the organisation. To all our volunteersI wish to express my thanks and gratitude for yourwork and commitment to making PLSA the bestorganisation it can be.A Few Other Things…The HIV Disclosure Guide for SA is currently beingdrafted by the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre in Sydney andis likely to be released in early 2013. The guide has hadPositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012significant support from PLSA, through consultationwith board, rural weekend participants and otherpositive community members, as well as from otherHIV sector agencies and workers.Check out our website for our position statement around Criminalisationof HIV. This was developed early in the financialyear following a number of criminalisation forumsinvolving Sally Cameron from Queensland, andfrom a whole of board discussion. PLSA has continuedto lead a state mental health and HIV ‘chapter’ ofthe national Mental Health Professional Networkinitiative. Following a series of ‘lived experience’workshop style sessions this year, the group will beworking with a few key presenters in the mental healthand HIV area for the coming year. Thanks to Kat andMark for their support role in making these eventshappen and run smoothly.2012 - 2013??With funding cuts of around 17% ahead of us in thenew financial year, I believe it will be another year ofchanges.I believe our funding future is very insecure. The riskof losing more funds is a very real possibility in thenext two or three years. I believe this will have nothingto do with the quality of our services. It will be purelyan economic (government) decision.The government’s agenda appears increasingly centredon medicalised models of service delivery, and there ismounting pressure on general practitioners to increasetheir role in the broader health and wellbeing of(positive) people.So… it is up to us to disprove the economic argumentfor the removal of community organisations in favourof individualised, medicalised services that furtherremove people from control of their wellbeing As.anorganisation and as a community, we need to focus onour intrinsic value… our connection to the majorityof positive people in SA, our skill in providingempowering and non-medicalised space for peopleto engage with their own wellbeing, our capacity toconnect people, for creating a sense of belonging, forsustaining a place of greater safety for everyone in theface of HIV stigma and discrimination and, in theend, the inherent power of being a (HIV positive) peerdriven organisation.Most HIV-related organisations were a result ofmobilisation of community at the beginning of thisepidemic in the 1980’s. It is time to remember thepower of a collective community. Positive people donot deserve to be relegated to an individualised, blameridden model of medical care. This narrow approachcannot respond to the realities of living with HIV.Come and join in, and lets all move on together.Rob19

PLSA website analysis 2011-20124038totalling5983visitsthis year featured...visits 5983unique visitors 4038page views 15 941pages per visit 2.66average visit duration 00:03:05bounce rate 51.35%percentage of new visits 66.79%people accessedwww.hivsa.org.au betweenJune 2011& June 201233.21%1987 return visits66.79%3996 new visitsworld-wide visitsAustralia: visits 5084 | pages per visit 2.81 | visit duration 03:21new visits 62.35% | bounce rate 48.52%United States: visits 137| pages per visit 1.53| visit duration 00:40new visits 97.08% | bounce rate 81.02%South Africa: visits 93| pages per visit 2.44 | visit duration 02:10new visits 93.55% | bounce rate 52.69%Unlisted: visits 81| pages per visit 1.32 | visit duration 01:08new visits 76.54% | bounce rate 76.54%United Kingdom: visits 71| pages per visit 1.92 | visit duration 02:12new visits 94. | bounce rate 76.54%Other countries of note:India: 71 visits| Algeria: 45 visits| Brazil: 38 visits| Canada 26 visitsChina 14 visits|France 14 visitsstatistics provided by Google Analytics20 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

Executive AssistantReport Mark VandenhurkThis report is written by Mark Vandenhurk who iscurrently employed as Executive Assistant while KatiaMcAteer is on maternity leave. Kat will return in April2013. The Executive Assistant position at 30 June 2012was 3 days per week (0.6FTE). Reduced funding toPLSA for the new financial year will see this positionreduced to 2 days per week.However, the work continues…The Executive Assistant workswithin three main areas:• Board and Executive support• Accreditation• Alternative sources of fundinge.g. corporate sponsorship, grants, donations etcBoard of ManagementBoard meeting organisation may not seem veryinvolved, but… the writing of minutes, collectingmonthly reports, and collating the monthly Boardpapers for distribution, all take considerable timeeach month. The board always has a shared lunchimmediately following their meeting, so there isthe shopping to do on the day and lunch to set up.Afterwards, of course there are the minutes to writeand the cycle starts again… monthly meetings comearound very quickly! Other tasks include supportingthe President to stage the Annual General Meetingwhere new board members are elected and providinghands on support to other board or organisationalactivities as required eg cooking for Poz Day Out,admin support for community forums etc.The Executive Assistant also takes minutes at thefortnightly Executive Management Team (EMT)meetings (comprising President, Vice-President andExecutive Officer) that oversee some of the largeroperational matters. This committee is less formalthan the Board, however a record of discussion andtasks arising is still kept. Support to the ExecutiveOfficer largely entails co-facilitating the Mental HealthProfessional Network sessions every three months.This year PLSA ran three MHPN events with atotal of 31 people attending. The MHPN and HIVgroup is a great mix of plhiv, HIV sector workers,mental health clinicians, and other mental healthworkers. The network is part of a national MentalHealth Professional Network and ours is the onlyHIV/mental health network in AustraliaAccreditationPLSA has continued its accreditation process on theway to becoming accredited under the Health andCommunity Services Standards (Quality ImprovementCouncil). The coming financial year is when we willbe undertaking our external review, this is wherean independent team of people spend up to a weekwith PLSA and assess our standards of work. Thisreview team will talk with staff, volunteers andmany members of the organisation. The team willPositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201221

These funds were used for a small butsuccessful project - “HIVE- 2 & 5 Food Project”.The project enabled PLSA to purchase around $150of fresh fruit and vegetables from the AdelaideCentral Markets, each week for 8 weeks.Executive Assistant’sReport Continued...also examine all our documentation of how we work.The review is an intense process, but a rewardingone that provides PLSA with a platform for ongoingimprovement and quality service provision. In thenext six months (to Dec 2012) we will need to completeour ‘Quality Journal’. This journal records all of theways in which we work and compares this to the QICstandards for accreditation. We have much workto do, but the process is very rewarding. Watch outfor Accreditation updates and calls for people to beinvolved in the review process in the coming year.FundingThe year ending 30th June 2012 saw PLSA develop andestablish direct links with Grants and Philanthropicnetworks. PLSA has become a member of 4 grant/philanthropy seeking networks through the AustralianPhilanthropy Directory and www.grantseekers.com.au.Currently we are developing a PartnershipOpportunities strategy to recruit businesses and privatecorporations to consider donations to PLSA as a wayof meeting their Corporate Social Responsibility. Theobjective of this is to seek recurrent small to mediumsized donations from a variety of organisations to helpsustain the balance of funds for the HIVE and RRBGF.During this financial year, PLSA had applied for 4grants and was successful in obtaining one grant for$1,500 from Community Centres SA - Social MarketingCapacity Building Funding Round 2011. These fundswere used for a small but successful project - “HIVE-2 & 5 Food Project”. The project enabled PLSA topurchase around $150 of fresh fruit and vegetables fromthe Adelaide Central Markets, each week for 8 weeks.The HIVE 2&5 project highlighted the importance andnutritional value of 2 serves of fruit and 5 servesof vegetables every day. 86 HIVE shoppers took upthe offer of fresh fruit and veg. This equaled 2885serves (296 kilograms) of healthy fruit and vegetables.22 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

Health PromotionOfficers’ ReportSuzi Quixley & Mark Stephens2011/12 was an action packed year for our HealthPromotion Officers – Suzi (all year), Georges(until February 2012) and Mark (from May 2012).Running Poz Community EventsIn June 2011, we held our first Big Issue Forum. Thisevent was designed to enable positive people to saywhich issues PLSA should be focusing on, and whatwe should be doing about them. This led to a seriesof monthly forums (from July to October), eachlooking at one of these areas: Discrimination, Advocacy& Disclosure, The Financial Burden of HIV, New &Emerging Issues (e.g. premature ageing, home help)and mental health and support services.In preparation for the July forum, Suzi compiledan“information sheet” on the law related to privacy,disclosure and discrimination (in SA and interstate).Participants found this useful, so we wrote a practicalbackground resource for each of the following forums.(These have been updated and improved, and many arenow PLSA Info Updates).At the forums themselves, we documentedparticipants’ real life experiences. After checking theiraccuracy and getting permission, these were madeanonymous and used in a variety of ways. Theywere added to our website to give a human face to thesection on Living with HIV. They were also used inour funding submissions and even SACOSS’s budgetsubmission to the state government (which argued thatSA Health should cover co-payment for people withchronic disease).In 2012, we began a new series of Treatments Forumsheld every 3 months. In February, we hosted ChinWag - with Vanessa Wagner and Nurse Nancy - partof the Treataware program through NAPWA. OurMay Treatments Forum focused on the Realities ofLiving with HIV Treatments - a chance for people toshare their experiences in a relaxed environment.Based on findings from a survey at the May forum, wealso planned topics for a further 4 forums in 2012/13,and have approached several funding bodies and drugcompanies to assist with funding.Rural.Life+, held at the end of June, was huge! This peersupport weekend for positive people from country SAwas timed to coincide with Planet Positive. We madepersonal contact with all (36) PLSA members outsideAdelaide. We also advertised in local papers acrossthe state and directly 2 positive people who were notPLSA members. A total of 9 men participated in theweekend, which was facilitated by Suzi. The weekendfocused on two main topics – Melissa (from thenational HIV/AIDS Legal Centre) covered realities ofHIV disclosure in rural areas and Mark updated peopleon the latest HIV treatments information. Everyonewas really positive about this event, and we hope to runanother weekend (depending on funding) in 2013.These were typical comments:“A really fantastic weekend. I left it buzzing and feeling totallyalive. It was great to be among others with similar experiences”“I found the weekend to be informative, diverse, friendly andhelpful in sharing issues relating to being vulnerable and isolated inrural communities. We listened, we laughed, we talked a lot, andwe left feeling good about ourselves”And, of course, the HPO’s contributed to whole oforganisation events, including Poz Days Out, our end ofyear celebration, Candlelight Memorial, Planet Positiveand This Positive Life exhibition opening.Supporting IndividualsWhilst PLSA is no longer funded to provide ongoingcounselling, we always provide short term support,especially when there is no other service able,or willing, to meet someone’s needs. This year,Mark and Suzi (combined) provided over 100support sessions. These included everything fromanswering quick questions to providing intensivecrisis support. Sometimes, we referred people toother agencies for counselling, or health services, orlegal advice, or help with housing. Several peoplewanted to address discrimination, and we supportedthem to make complaints through disability advocacyservices, and to the Anti-Discrimination Commission;Police Complaints Authority; the Health andCommunity Services Complaints Commissioner;and the Residential Tenancies Tribunal. Often, wedid research on topics specific to the informationneeds of individual participants, including treatmentsinformation, insurance options, rural mental healthPositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201223

In total, PSB spoke to over 1000people, including many school students anda few politicians! All our speakers receivedoverwhelmingly positive feedback…Health PromotionOfficer Report Continued...services, Centrelink benefits and access to otherfinancial support. Many of our sessions were with newmembers or newly diagnosed people, who we linkedup with other positive people for peer support. We alsoresponded to HIV information requests and pre-testanxiety from members of the general public.Wider Community EducationSuzi took over managing the Positive Speakers Bureau(PSB) from Tony at the beginning of this year - afterhe’d run the service on a voluntary basis for manyyears. (Thanks, Tony!) Using paid staff allowed usto focus more on promoting the PSB: as a result, thenumber of presentations more than doubled (up from15 to 38). Almost 200 community services and healthworkers and 300 student nurses, pharmacists anddoctors attended PSB presentations. We hope this willcontribute to positive people having better experiencesin other services - both now and in the future. Intotal, PSB spoke to over 1000 people, including manyschool students and a few politicians! All our speakersreceived overwhelmingly positive feedback,for example:“The personal story of the speaker really made me realise howmuch stigma and discrimination still occurs”-New HIV Sector Worker“Best in-service I have been to - very interesting and presenterswere informative, open and funny”- Nurse“I found this part of the talk the most valuable because it’ssomething that you can’t be taught by a lecturer or from readinga journal… I think this talk has given me a better perspective onwhere a HIV patient is coming from, physically, emotionallyand sometimes financially”- Pharmacy student“The speakers were great at putting a face, heart and soul beforethe virus and thus allowing a more clear perspective of HIV”-Health Promotion OfficerWe subcontracted Relationships Australia SA (RASA)to conduct a 4 day training program for 6 new or recentspeakers, and arranged buddying opportunities forprospective speakers. At the beginning of the year, a lotof time went into developing new policies, proceduresand forms – to get PSB systems ready to deal with alot more engagements. In particular, we developed newfeedback forms, to collect the information we neededfor our own learning and to meet government reportingrequirements. We also promoted the ‘new look’ PSBthrough the PLSA website and to organisations whichemployed speakers last year. We negotiated withHepatitis SA to ‘fast track’ experienced speakerswith Hep C, so they could be positive speakersfor both organisations.In addition to PSB, Suzi and Mark did educationsessions with students doing placements in a varietyof organisations – a nursing student at Sex IndustryNetwork, a public health student from Denmark, lawstudents at the Young Workers Legal Service, etc. Wealso contributed training material to the Diploma inPopulation Health being run by RASA.Issues affecting Positive PeopleWe’ve done heaps of writing this year! This includesarticles for PT on everything from treatments, tocriminalisation, to Hep C services and support. Forthe Big Issues Forums, Suzi wrote several practicalresources that have been used by many membersalready (e.g. legal info, home help, counselling services,discrimination, HIV services). In preparation forthe PEP pamphlet, we found out about all the S100prescribers in SA, where they practice and who canprovide PEP. And… we updated many pages on thenew look website - including Relationships, Impact ofHIV, Impact on Life and Hep C Happenings.We’ve talked with interstate organisations (YWCACanberra & QPP) about their promotional campaigns,to try to make sure that our female condom packagingencourages women to try these.24 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

A lot of our research has been on issues that affect thewhole positive community e.g. criminalisation of HIV,co-payments for HIV meds and mental health. Wecontinue to update and add to our knowledge of theseissues, so PLSA is ready to respond and advocate whenopportunities arise. We’ve also started to develop ane-Library of HIV-related information - which we hopewill eventually be available to all our members.Suzi participated in the SACOSS Cost of LivingSummit, which provided a great opportunity toadvocate for free HIV meds in South Australia –which was widely supported by delegates. This ledto a proposal being put up by SACOSS to the SAGovernment for the 2011/12 budget. Although thiswas unsuccessful, we hope it was only the first step inachieving this goal over time. And, we participated inSACOSS meeting on health funding cuts.Working TogetherSuzi and Mark have contributed to the work of otherHIV-related organisations where possible. We’veattended many events hosted by other organisations(e.g. World AIDS Day events, ACSA Forums onFearLess LiveMore and Revving Up HIV Prevention,Gay Periodic Survey Workshop), supported workersin projects outside PLSA (e.g. Positive Directions,ACSA CaLD project), assisted with design andcompilation of sector-wide surveys (e.g. on transportneeds and barriers to HIV testing), helped otherorganisations develop resources (e.g. RASA BilingualWorker Survey) and contributed to sector surveys(e.g. HIV Workforce Development Survey and HCAe-Health survey). At a national level, Suzi attendedthe AFAO Education Managers’ forum (Sydney) andMark attended the AFAO Positive Services Forum(Melbourne). Mark has also participated in TreatmentOfficers Network (TON) and Australasian Society forHIV Medicine (ASHM) both before and since beingemployed at PLSA. We’ve encouraged PLSA membersto contribute to relevant research including setting upevents for Opposites Attract (Kirby Institute), ANET(Dr Rigmor Berg) and the annual Anti-Poverty Survey(SACOSS). Suzi also assisted Kath write the advocacyletter for the Eminent Person’s Group to federalgovernment ministers.We’ve undertaken joint projects with otherorganisations. This year, we documentedthe HIV, Sex Work and the Law events(run jointly with SIN last year). CREW(Collaborative Rural Education Workshop)was a project coordinated by Hepatitis SA toprovide combined HIV and hepatitis training inrural areas - along with DASSA and SAVIVE,we contributed to the project. Suzi was onthe working party for the launch of PositiveStories at FEAST with ACSA and others, andfacilitated the event. She also began planningjoint Women’s Forums with HIV Women’sProgram. And, we ran two consultations forthe national HIV/AIDS Legal Centre, who aredeveloping a Disclosure Guide for SA.Between us, we actively contribute to severalHIV sector committees. Suzi sits on CHIP(CaLD HIV Interagency Project) Committee,which has been developing a preventionand support strategy for people from highprevalence countries. This has includedresearching Medicare ineligibility, identifyingthe human rights documents that should guidethe strategy, drafting strategies to address thequality of life needs of plhiv and working withother organisations to promote female condomsin South Australia. Mark and Georges both saton the IWF (Interagency Workers Forum) andthe AAW/WAD (AIDS Awareness Week/World AIDS Day) Committee.We’ve also helped maintain PLSA’s connectionwith the local Glandore community throughattending some Friday lunches and Suziparticipating in A Taste of Harmony (with Kath& Derick).A lot of our research has been onissues that affect the whole positive communitye.g. criminalisation of HIV, co-paymentsfor HIV meds and mental health.PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201225

AcknowledgementsPositive Life SAonce again wouldlike to thank andacknowledge ourstrategic partnersand businessesfor theirinvolvementand/or generoussupport with theHIV positivecommunity ofSouth Australia.Strategic P artners• ACON• ACON Northern Rivers• ACSA• ACSA Counselling Service• Adelaide Women’s Health Centre• AFAO• AIDS Action Council (ACT)• ARCSHS - for HIV Futures Data• ASHM• Centre Pharmacy• Cheltenham Place• Clinic 275• Flinders Medical Centre• HIV Liaison Nurses, Flinders Medical Centre• HIV Liaison Officer, Royal Adelaide Hospital• MOSAIC Services• NCHSR for the stigma audit• NTAHC• O’Brien St Practice• PEACE Multicultural Services• Positive Directions• Positive Living NSW• Positive Living Victoria• RASA• RDNS – Your Health and Learning• Riverside Family Medical Practice• Royal Adelaide Hospital• SA SIN• SAVIVE• Special Needs Clinic, Adelaide DentalHospital• TASCARHD• The Kirby Institute• Transgender, Gay and Lesbian,Bi-sexual Community of SA• Two One FiveMelbourne Street Medical Practice• WAAC26 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

Additional supportprovided to PLSAabove & beyond…• All PLSA volunteers and staff• Community Centres SA (ex CAHN)- Assistance with Grants• Gay Men’s Health, Incite Stories & FEAST- collaboration on launch of Positive Stories atFEAST• Hepatitis SA - (ex Hepatitis C Council),Drug and Alcohol Services Council &SAVIVE - collaboration on CREW project,providing HIV & Hep C training in rural areas• HIV Women’s Program,Women’s Health Statewide - for enthusiasticcollaboration in supporting women with HIV• HIV/AIDS Legal Centre HALC- collaboration on HIV Disclosure Guide for SA• NAPWA - for keeping us up to date with nationaland international issues• QPP – for sharing their regular treatments updates• SACOSS – advocating for positive people inbudget discussions with the State Government• SHine SA – collaboration on• promoting female condoms• The 17 organisations that utilisedPositive Speakers for presentationsPositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012Donors, funders&/or sponsors• ACP Magazines- free magazines each month for the HIVE• AIDS Trust of Australia- cash donation via the ACSA• Australian Executor Trustees - cash donation• Blaze Media - advertising discounts• Bliss Café - hosting “This Positive Life” exhibition• BreakFree on Hindley - support for Rural.Life+weekend above and beyond the call of duty!• Community Benefit Scheme - grantfunding the 2 & 5 fresh fruit and vegetables project• Drug and Alcohol Services SA- funding the Clean Needle Program• Foodbank SA - reduced cost grocery supplies forthe HIVE• Gilead Sciences -unrestricted educational grant forPositively Talking newsletter• Glandore Community Centre - in-kind support,access to facilities and making PLSA, and positivepeople, welcome.• Mental Health Professional Network- financial support for mental health and HIVevents• MSD – donation of dosettesdistributed through The HIVE• Port Adelaide TAFE - providingvolunteers for Complementary Therapies Clinic• Pulteney 431 - donation of drinks cans for cash• Several anonymous cash donors• Sexually Transmitted Infections & BloodBorne Viruses Section (SaBS), SA Health -ongoing core funding for our infrastructure andprograms• The Brunswick Hotel, Seven Starts Hotel, TheGilbert Street Hotel, Caos Cafe - support forPlanet Poz including donation of raffle prizes• The Royal Agricultural & HorticulturalSociety of SA – free admissiontickets to the 2011 Royal Adelaide Show• Wallis Cinemas - donation of movie passes• World AIDS Day Committee- funds raised for the Red Ribbon Fund27

Auditor’sReport

30 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201231

32 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201233

34 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201235

36 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/201237

38 PositiveLifeSA Annual Report 2011/2012

w: www.hivsa.org.aup: 08 8293 3700 f: 08 8293 3900m: PO Box 383, Marleston SA 5033a: 16 Malwa St , Glandore SA 5037