I’m Ready

Know your status. Connect to care.
Together, let’s end HIV in Canada.

About

The I’m Ready research program is a national HIV self-testing research program. The program uses two pieces of technology:

  • HIV self-testing kits: The INSTI HIV Self Test was approved for use in Canada on November 3, 2020 and is proven to be a fast and highly effective method. The test has an overall accuracy rated at over 99%, meaning that there is over a 99% probability that either a positive or a negative result will be correct.
  • Smartphones: Smartphones allow participants to sign up for the free program easily and anonymously anywhere across Canada as well as access program features and services.

I’m Ready has 50,000 free HIV self-test kits to distribute across Canada. Access to the kits is on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation in the I’m Ready program is free and anonymous. To be eligible to participate in the program, individuals must:

  • live in Canada;
  • have a mailing address or access to a pick-up location;
  • be over the age of 18; and
  • have access to a smartphone, or other device that can download apps such as a tablet.

I’m Ready wants to reach people who are undiagnosed, get them connected to care, and to learn through their research how to improve HIV testing and care in Canada, all with an ultimate goal of ending Canada’s HIV epidemic.

Self-testing opens many doors by removing some of the barriers people face in getting tested for HIV: lack of access to a healthcare provider, travel and wait times, and concerns about confidentiality and stigma. It also promotes greater privacy, autonomy, and the potential for community connections through innovative distribution programs and secondary distribution from one self-tester to another.”

– Sean B. Rourke, Director, REACH Nexus, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto.

The I’m Ready program has an associated app, called the I’m Ready, Test app, that is accessible through a smartphone or any other device that can download apps, such as a tablet. Downloading this free app is required to take part in the program. The app can be found on the App Store and Google Play. The I’m Ready, Test app is where people can order free HIV self-testing kits, answer survey questions, and be referred to services and information for HIV care and prevention.

The I’m Ready, Talk secure telehealth service is a feature that is available through the I’m Ready, Test app. Using this feature, individuals can access virtual support from peer navigators before, during, or after taking the self-test for HIV. Located across Canada, peer navigators can help answer questions about the I’m Ready research program, direct participants to information about HIV self-testing, and provide live, virtual support during the test itself. Peer navigators can also direct people to services and information for HIV care and prevention.

Saskatchewan-Specific Information

There are no set number of kits that can be accessed in Saskatchewan. Access across the country is on a first-come, first-served basis.

People participating in the program can choose to have HIV self-test kits mailed to their home address or pick them up at one of the designated pick-up locations in Saskatchewan:

If organizations are interested in becoming a designated pick-up location, or if individuals would like to have a pick-up location set up in a specific community, please contact Kristin MacLennan at: Kristin.MacLennan@unityhealth.to.

Saskatchewan-specific care pathways are available on the I’m Ready website to link those who take an HIV self-test to appropriate care based on their test result. For more information on the care pathways, please visit: www.readytoknow.ca/testing-support/care-pathways/saskatchewan-care-pathway/.

Important Links

If you want an HIV self-testing kit, but do not want to take part in the I’m Ready project and/or do not have a smartphone to access the app, kits can be purchased for approximately $35 CAD on the manufacturer’s website: www.shop.insti.com/insti-hiv-self-test.

If you want to get tested for HIV, and are unable to take part in this program, or do not want to test through self-testing, please refer to this map to find an HIV testing site near you: www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/health/accessing-health-care-services/health-care-facilities.

The I’m Ready research program is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, and Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR)’s Strategic Initiatives. The program’s core partners are the Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African & Caribbean Network (CHABAC); Women’s Health in Women’s Hands (WHIWH); and the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC). WHIWH and CBRC are partners specifically in the I’m Ready, Talk secure telehealth service component of the program.

The I’m Ready research program is the flagship initiative of “I’m Ready to Know”, a broader brand (or “project”) under which REACH Nexus is developing multiple HIV self-testing initiatives to reach different key populations in different contexts and to increase access to HIV self-testing and care.