News & Updates

The mpox vaccine is given as a two-dose vaccine. Get vaccinated in time for summer.

BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), British Columbia’s (B.C.) regional health authorities, and partners like Health Initiative for Men (HIM) are reminding people who are eligible for the mpox (monkeypox) vaccine to get vaccinated now, ahead of Pride season and summer activities, including travel. 

While the 2022 mpox outbreak has been declared over, there is potential for new cases in B.C. The virus has the potential to be reintroduced locally at large gatherings like Pride events or could be acquired while travelling. Since 2022, there have been 199 confirmed cases of mpox in B.C.

Imvamune® vaccine is available to British Columbians at the highest risk of contracting mpox. It is given as a two-dose vaccine. To date, more than 27,500 vaccine doses have been administered, most as first doses. Vaccination has been successful in controlling the outbreak of mpox and bringing case numbers down. 

“We had an excellent response to the vaccine campaign last summer, and we saw a dramatic decrease in the number of mpox cases,” said Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer for Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “However, most people only received a single dose, and we’d really like everyone to complete their series with a second dose of Imvamune for stronger, longer-lasting protection.”

To help promote vaccination, Health Initiative for Men has launched a new campaign to promote vaccination. It Takes 2 reinforces the message that a complete vaccine series requires two doses. People who have not yet been vaccinated for mpox and those who only received their first dose are at higher risk of getting mpox if exposed. The campaign is appearing on transit, dating apps and social media.

“Estimates of vaccine effectiveness vary but two doses provide about 90 per cent protection against mpox,” says Dr. Monika Naus, Medical Director of Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Service for the BCCDC. “If you have only had a single dose, you should get your second dose for optimal protection.”

No vaccine is 100 per cent effective and even if you have been vaccinated, you can develop symptoms. People who have been vaccinated are less likely to experience severe symptoms. 

“While vaccination has been very successful in reducing cases in B.C., it is still possible to be exposed to the virus locally or while travelling,” says Dr. Mayank Singal, Physician Epidemiologist with BCCDC’s Public Health Response team. “If you have been exposed to mpox and develop symptoms, seek medical attention so you can be tested as soon as possible.”

Vaccination eligibility

Two-Spirit and transgender people and cisgender males who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men community and at least one of the following:

• Has sex with more than one partner,
• Has sex with a partner who has more than one partner,
• Has casual sex (e.g. cruising),
• Engages in sex work as a worker or client.

Find appointments

Appointments are available at select pharmacies and community clinics:

• Vancouver Coastal Health
• Fraser Health
• Interior Health
• Island Health
• Northern Health

People who have received two doses or who had an mpox infection do not require another vaccine. Booster doses may be required in the future should mpox transmission continue into 2024.

Learn more

• bccdc.ca/mpox
• checkhimout.ca/mpox/vaccination 

The BC Centre for Disease Control, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides public health leadership through surveillance, detection, treatment, prevention and consultation services. The Centre provides diagnostic and treatment services for people with diseases of public health importance, and analytical and policy support to all levels of government and health authorities. The BCCDC also provides health promotion and prevention services to reduce the burden of chronic disease, preventable injury and environmental health risks. For more, visit www.bccdc.ca or follow us on Twitter @CDCofBC.

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) provides specialized health care services and programs to communities across British Columbia, the territories of many distinct First Nations. We are grateful to all the First Nations who have cared for and nurtured this land for all time, including the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlil̓w̓ətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations on whose unceded and ancestral territory our head office is located. We work in partnership with other B.C. health authorities and the provincial government to deliver province-wide solutions that improve the health of British Columbians. For more information, visit www.phsa.ca or follow us @PHSAofBC. 

Health Initiative for Men (HIM) is a nonprofit society that aims to strengthen the health and well-being in communities of self-identified GBQ men and gender diverse people in BC. HIM offers a full spectrum of health-based programming and services to meet the sexual, mental, physical and social health needs of communities of self-identified GBQ men and gender diverse people in BC. Visit checkhimout.ca/mpox for more information

New Executive Director will assume job responsibilities on October 1, 2021, following handover from current leadership. 

HIM Board of Directors and staff are excited to announce the appointment of Aaron Purdie as the organization’s new Executive Director who will assume responsibility for the role on October 1, 2021. HIM’s outgoing Executive Director Greg Oudman who served the organization since 2014, has worked closely with the Board for the last 3 months to develop a succession plan and process to identify the right candidate to lead the organization forward. 

“The Board of Directors was actually prepared to undertake a cross-country search to fill the position.” says Doug Leavers, Chair of the HIM Board. “Which made it all the more exciting for us to discover that – from within HIM’s own management team – Aaron shared all of the Board’s progressive ambitions for the future of HIM.”   

Doug recognized Aaron’s work supporting GBTQ2+ health and social justice within the queer community, further adding, “Aaron’s many successes at HIM, along with his proposals to advance the Board’s Strategic Plan priorities, earned his promotion unanimous approval from the Board.” 

As HIM’s new incoming Executive Director, Aaron will work closely with the Board of Directors at HIM to develop shared leadership which will introduce new levels of equity at HIM by ensuring that leadership and decision making is shared amongst the diverse leaders at HIM. Aaron will take the lead on facilitating the organization’s strategic plan, ensuring strong relationships in community, and will continue to ensure that HIM’s work is resourced in a way that addresses the health inequities that exist within queer and gender diverse communities. “I have had the incredible experience of learning from elders, and leaders who are queer and gender diverse and I will not let those learnings go to waste. I am committed to listening, self-reflection and conveying to the world the importance of peer-based supports. When we can help each other a perspective of lived experience, we invest depth and vibrance back into our own communities” – Aaron Purdie. 

More about Aaron:

Aaron (he/him/his) has worked with HIM since 2015, and brings his extensive experience in program development, evaluation, policy and mental health practice. Trained and supported in his early career by dedicated, passionate Womxn, Aaron started work in the non-profit sector in 2005 and has worked alongside marginalized people for his entire career including people with disabilities, youth and newcomers. Aaron values social justice, equity, accountability, and is a creative, dynamic leader who values people and relationships over all else. As HIM’s first internal candidate for Executive Director, Aaron brings forward his significant experience in supporting gay, bi and queer men in building and imagining healthy lives. Aaron is a sci-fi loving mental health professional (registered clinical counsellor) who values art, music, philosophy and dialogue. 

Bidding Farewell to HIM’s longest serving Executive Director 

Greg Oudman, Outgoing Executive Director

HIM Board of Directors and staff would like to thank Greg Oudman for his service for the last 7 years as Executive Director. With Greg’s leadership the organization has navigated through challenging times and thrived to become a cornerstone for the health and wellbeing of the GBT2Q community. 

“For these past seven years, I have had the immense privilege to be part of our work to build capacity to address GBT2Q health and wellness in the Lower Mainland and beyond, with the best and most passionate advocates for GBT2Q health anywhere in Canada. I have had the opportunity to celebrate queer men’s lives and my life in ways I would never have dreamed of as an uncertain closeted young queer man so many years ago. I have had the privilege of helping HIM grow and flourish, of seeing our engagement with GBT2Q communities expand, and of witnessing some of the most amazing and innovative programming for GBT2Q health and wellness. I am immensely proud of that work. The direction, support and guidance I’ve received from the Board of Directors over my tenure motivated me to be the best leader I could be, and I am grateful for their support. I have every confidence that HIM is in good hands with the new leadership and the current staff and governance team, and that it will continue to provide innovative, accessible and inclusive opportunities for GBT2Q folks to build healthy lives and thrive together. It has been a genuine honour to lead this organization for the past seven years and to do this essential work in our community. I am very much looking forward to seeing how HIM and the communities it engages with continue to evolve together.” – Greg Oudman. 

Aaron Purdie and Greg Oudman

Commenting on Greg’s departure, Aaron Purdie – incoming Executive Director, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Greg for almost 7 years. Greg and I share values in providing services, in-the-moment that have been built by and for our communities and I have learned so much from our work together. Greg’s experience in program building, and refining service provision and building HIM’s capacity to deliver excellent work are legacies that we want to carry forward”. 

Board Members depend on the Executive Director to provide trusted, up-to-date information about all organizational affairs. “Most non-profits progress through numerous organizational stages and HIM has been no exception.”  says Doug Leavers, Chair. “Since 2014, each Board member has appreciated the advice and input that Greg has provided consistently to support their governance role. This enabled all of the Directors to work exceptionally well together.”  Through several Board terms, Greg always held the ED / Chair team in high regard. “In my experience” says Doug, “I have sincerely appreciated the shared respect of our relationship.” 

HIM’s team collectively wishes Greg all the best in his future endeavors. 

About Health Initiative for Men (HIM): 

HIM is a non-profit society that aims to strengthen health and well-being in communities of self-identified GBQ (gay, bi and queer) men and gender diverse people in BC. Our vision is to build healthier lives together. We value a comprehensive approach to healthy living; we value our community’s ability to make informed decisions; we value a non-judgmental, sex-positive and strengths-based philosophy; we value scientific research; we value capacity-building and collaboration; we value the role of our communities. 

A New Comprehensive Guide for Navigating a Queer World

VANCOUVER, BC – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23^rd, 2021 – Health Initiative for MEN (HIM) today announced the launch of More Than Sex, a new provincewide resource that aims to improve the sexual health and wellbeing for communities of GBQ men and gender diverse people in British Columbia. HIM invites members of the communities of GBQ men and gender diverse people and anyone who wants to learn about the queer health experience to visit www.MoreThanSex.ca. @HIMtweets, @HealthInitiativeforMen, @instahim.

More Than Sex is a guide about queer sex, diverse bodies, health and GBQ men and gender diverse people cultures and communities. It shares information to help navigate a queer world, explores sexual health and starts conversations about some of the forces and experiences that shape the lives of queer people. The new online resource will also connect people to organizations across B.C. that can offer specialized health and wellness services unique to the needs of GBQ men and gender diverse people.

Sections of More Than Sex: Navigating a Queer World, Sexual Activities, Sexual Health Strategies, Mental and Social Health, HIV and STIs 101, Local Resources and a Glossary.

More Than Sex prioritizes language and content that is more inclusive and speaks to the experiences of community members who are too often excluded from sexual health resources aimed at cis gay men. More than any other resource HIM has released in the past, More Than Sex speaks to the diversity of experiences and needs of community members. The resource will maintain an updated glossary to help unpack some of the more specific language used within the resource and broader community.

“Health Initiative for Men is committed to strengthening diversity and inclusion within its own organization and across the province of British Columbia,” Greg Oudman, Executive Director of Health Initiative for Men said. “In 2018, after extensive consultation with the communities we engage with, we adopted an ambitious five-year plan that is guiding all of our work. More Than Sex is a fundamental platform in this vital work, because its development relies heavily on the lived experiences of trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit communities. More Than Sex successfully helps us to understand many aspects of the queer world we live in, through the lens of gender diverse queer people. This perspective has been largely missing in our work, and is part of our responsibility to ensure that the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice play a central role in how we reflect ourselves and serve these communities.”

More Than Sex is rooted in the guidance, leadership, and hard work of a Steering and Leadership Committee. This committee is made up of community leaders who are trans men, non-binary, and/or Two-Spirit. From the specific language to the style of the graphics and the original characters featured, this new initiative was shaped by these community leaders who shared their time, energy, and experience to help guide the development of More Than Sex.

Commenting on the launch, Program Manager of Health Promotion, Simon Rayek said: “It was really from the expertise and leadership of our trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit communities that we arrived at the understanding that something that has been wanted- and has been missing- is a resource that speaks to community members on as many ends of the gender spectrum, regardless of body or identity as possible. More Than Sex helps us broaden the umbrella under which we speak about queer sex, health and our communities.” Health Initiative for Men (HIM) is a peer-based organization that serves the unique sexual, mental, social, and physical health needs of GBQ men and gender diverse people in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland and across British Columbia. HIM operates five health centres offering sexual health testing (including vaccination, treatment and prevention options), as well as professional counselling, sexual health education, and support groups. HIM is dedicated to strengthening the health and wellness of GBQ men and gender diverse people through trusted, tailored, targeted health promotion.

Vancouver, BC: Today, Health Initiative for MEN (HIM) – a local non-profit society that aims to strengthen the health and well-being of gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit and queer (GBT2Q) men -announced the launch of a new intervention to help men who are “less out” about their sexuality, find information and tools to safely and confidentially access mental, sexual and social health in the community.

The multi-pronged intervention (OutsideIN) includes a website resource and accompanying awareness campaign which aim to build empathy and understanding among the GBT2Q community toward the fact that outness is different for everyone.  “We at HIM want to let guys, who are less out, know that they don’t have to be out in order for them to access the/our tools that are designed to help them to take control of their own sexual health” Said Aaron Purdie, Associate Director, Programs and Interventions.

Commenting on the launch, Program Manager, Health Promotion Simon Rayek Said: “We need to simultaneously recognize the unique stress related to being less out while understanding that coming out is not the singular solution. Between 10 and 25 percent of men who have sex with men in Canada say they have never ‘come out’ to anyone, including their doctors. These men experience a number of health inequities compared to their more “out” counterparts; they have lower sexual health literacy, lower testing rates for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, weaker social networks, higher rates of social isolation, and increased stress levels. We also know that these inequities are often unaddressed by health organizations whose reach may be more-or-less limited to GBT2Q who are out enough to openly inquire about and utilize health services aimed at sexual minority populations.”

HIM invites members of the GBT2Q community and the broader society to visit www.outness.ca to learn more and start unpacking the complexities of outness.