What We Do
Our Mission
AVI increases health equity by providing highly responsive, harm reduction-based HIV, hepatitis C, substance use, sexual health, mental health, and other community health services, and is informed by the voices of people with living experience.
Our Vision
We envision a community where people can experience optimal health and wellness, and be free from stigma, marginalization, and criminalization.
AVI Health and Community Services: A Brief History
On September 17, 1985, five men (Wayne Cook, Don MacIvor, Roy Salonin, John Spencer, and Grant Sullivan) sat around a kitchen table and decided it was time to meet the challenge posed by the AIDS epidemic on Vancouver Island. These five men saw the growing need for accurate and up-to-date information and services relating to HIV/AIDS. That evening saw the birth of AIDS Vancouver Island (now AVI Health and Community Services), with the founders forming the first Board of Directors.
The society was subsequently incorporated in BC and registered under certificate number S20925 on January 24, 1986 under the legal name of The Vancouver Island Aids Society. Initial funding for the society’s expenses came from a benefit and charitable donations. There were no paid staff and a small office space was obtained at no charge. Over the past 30 years, the need for HIV/AIDS related programs and services has continued to grow, and in 2019 AIDS Vancouver Island changed its name to AVI Health and Community Services to reflect the breadth of services offered. AVI has continued to receive support from individuals and organizations in the communities they serve including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Island Health, and the United Way.