October 20, 2026 Bringing HIV/syphilis testing to the north: St. Michael’s Hospital co-led public health initiative arrives in Yukon DAWSON CITY, YUKON — For Mike Ellis, a[...]

DAWSON CITY, YUKON - For Mike Ellis, a nurse practitioner and wellness lead at Dawson Clinical Care Centre & Yukon Spa, the decision to join the Ayaangwaamiziwin Centre was simple: it brings healthcare directly to communities who need it most, removing barriers to care.

"The project is important because it actually reaches people on the frontlines," said Ellis. "Too many health initiatives are focussed on health policy and spend years looking at problems abstractly without taking action that can positively impact peoples' lives."

The Ayaangwaamiziwin Centre - an Ojibwe word meaning "carefulness and preparedness"- has arrived in Dawson City, with Yukon Spa becoming its newest partner site. This public health initiative, co-led by St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, brings together researchers, Indigenous organizations, frontline agencies, and community health organizations, to expand access to rapid testing for HIV and syphilis while also helping to create immediate connections to prevention and treatment.

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Geography can be a major barrier to health care in remote and northern communities. Long distances, limited access to services and transportation challenges can make HIV testing and prevention difficult to access, or, for some, impossible.

"This is the first project I've been part of in Canada that has truly decentralized the delivery of care," said Ellis. "It gives rural, remote and underserved communities, many of them predominantly Indigenous, the support and resources of a central hub, while empowering local communities to deliver the care and services people need."

The Ayaangwaamiziwin Centre, with sites operating in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and now Yukon, has already reached more than 3,500 people helping to identify over 500 cases of syphilis and close to 100 cases of HIV. It brings testing and prevention closer to where people live, work and access services, putting testing within reach and delivering answers in minutes.

The work comes at an especially urgent moment.

Syphilis cases in Canada have nearly doubled in recent years, increasing from 6,371 infectious cases in 2018 to 12,135 in 2023. Congenital syphilis has also more than tripled, rising from 17 cases in 2018 to 53 in 2023.

In Yukon, the challenge is particularly acute. The territory's syphilis rate is more than four times the national average, 132.3 cases per 100,000 people compared with 30.5 nationally.

HIV is also rising. New HIV cases in Canada increased by 23 per cent between 2022 and 2023, while the combined rate of first-time HIV diagnoses in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut more than doubled in 2024, from 2.2 to 4.6 cases per 100,000 people, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

For Dawson City, a community of approximately 2,409 people, distance can become a significant barrier to care. The community is roughly 1,930 kilometres north of Vancouver and just over 500 kilometres north of Whitehorse.

Dawson Clinical Care Centre & Yukon Spa, was created to fill critical gaps in healthcare and wellness services-bringing much-needed supports to a community where essential services were either unavailable, difficult to access, or simply unable to meet the growing needs of residents.

The spa, which provides massages and aesthetic treatments, also provides a range of clinical and musculoskeletal care ranging from wound and dental treatment to physiotherapy, chiropractic care, infusion medicine and a full service nurse practitioner led primary care clinic.

Now as a partner site with The Ayaangwaamiziwin Centre, Ellis and his team at Yukon spa are using rapid tests to screen for HIV, syphilis and other sexually transmitted blood borne infections and providing options for HIV prevention like Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or connecting people to treatment.

Ellis said people have been "thrilled" with the speed of testing and results which can happen in minutes. People have also enjoyed getting healthcare from a place that doesn't feel clinical.

"Being able to offer HIV testing in spaces that aren't institutions, somewhere that feels safer and more comfortable than a hospital or public health unit, is a big win," he said. "We're creating opportunities for people to access care in ways that work for them. People really value that this work is being led by the Centre, not government. It feels genuine when Indigenous leaders are driving the work, rather than being given token seats at the table."

The Ayaangwaamiziwin Centre is a collaborative effort involving leaders from community, the health system, public health, and regional governments in the Prairies and northern Territories. It's funded by the CIHR, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Staples Canada through the Even the Odds partnership, Jackman Foundation, and other foundations.

Dr. Sean B. Rourke, director of REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital, who co-led the creation of the initiative said HIV and infectious syphilis are public health emergencies in Canada, particularly in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and northern Canada, which need urgent action

"What makes this partnership historic is that it brings community leaders, Indigenous Elders, healthcare providers and public health together around a shared goal and concrete actions -making testing and care more accessible to the people and communities who need it most," said Dr. Rourke. "The more people we can reach to test, diagnose and treat with HIV and syphilis, the faster we can help end these health crises."