Casey House begins Stigmavir campaign
By Derek Winkler
Casey House, a Toronto hospital specializing in patients with or at risk of HIV, has resumed a campaign called “Smash Stigma” focusing on people who have lived with the disease for a number of years. Developed by Bensimon Byrne and Narrative, the initiative depicts a fictional drug called Stigmavir that treats HIV-related stigma in the health care system. This is the fifth year the hospital has conducted this campaign.
“This year we opted to infuse a lighter tone into the serious issue of stigma faced by people living with HIV,” said Joseph Bonnici, chief creative officer at Bensimon Byrne parent company Tadiem. “The campaign is designed to educate health care practitioners in the right voice, but also be engaging and entertain them in order to change behaviours. The ‘Stigmavir’ campaign is designed to go beyond awareness of the problem, to create action. We want health care practitioners to participate in creating stigma free spaces.”