Ontario HIV Treatment Network

The Ontario HIV Treatment Network is an independently incorporated, not-for-profit organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. 2) What does the OHTN do? The OHTN promotes excellence and innovation in HIV treatment, research, education and prevention in Ontario to: Improve the health and well-being of people with HIV Contribute to HIV prevention efforts Promote knowledge exchange among all HIV stakeholders Ensure value for resources 3) How is the OHTN governed? The OHTN is governed by a Board of Directors elected from the following stakeholder groups: People living with HIV Primary Care Physicians Groups Ontario HIV Outpatient Clinic Directors and Coordinators Canadian Association for HIV Research Ontario 4) What is the OHTN network? The OHTN is a collaborative network of: Researchers People living with HIV AIDS Service Organizations Decision makers from government and community agencies Health service providers 5) How can the OHTN improve the lives of people with HIV? The OHTN funds research with real-life impact: research that has the potential to improve the quality of life for people with HIV. We support community-based research to ensure that people with HIV contribute to every stage of the research process from the first planning stage. We support the development of service provider treatment guidelines, best practices and toolkits. We share HIV-related information with health care professionals and help medical students learn more about HIV-related issues. 6) How does the OHTN benefit AIDS Service Organizations? The OHTN supports AIDS Service Organizations by: Providing information on the latest research evidence Offering a Rapid Response Service for quick literature reviews of HIV-related research topics Conducting skills building workshops to help build capacity and apply research evidence to practice Supporting the development of best practices Funding research to help improve community-based programs and services Supporting their involvement in community-based research to help them build partnerships with academic researchers Developing data and information systems to help them monitor and improve their programs and services 7) How does the OHTN help health service providers? The OHTN supports health service providers by: Helping the Society of HIV Physicians build networks of HIV care providers Funding the training of new HIV physicians and encouraging clinicians to get involved in research through residency, career and student awards Conducting KTE events and the OHTN Annual Research Conference to raise awareness in HIV-related issues Providing funding to increase knowledge and retention in the sector Supporting the development of best practices and treatment guidelines Hosting seminars from St. Michael's Hospital Rounds in HIV care 8) How does the OHTN inform decision makers? The OHTN shares research findings with policy makers to identify the implications for policies and programs through: Conducting KTE events and the OHTN Annual Research Conference to raise awareness in HIV-related issues Think Tanks designed to raise awareness of emerging issues Community consultations Direct consultations We also administrate the reporting tools (OCASE and OCHART) AIDS Service Organizations use to track client needs and services and meet federal and provincial reporting requirements.