By:  Dr. Susan MacDonald, Northern Health Chief Medical Officer

December 1, 2013 marks World AIDS Day, the day that we annually honour those living with HIV, and commemorate those that we’ve lost to AIDS.

It’s also a time to salute Northern Health’s community partners who work so diligently to support persons living with HIV/AIDS. They include Positive Living North, Northern BC First Nations HIV/AIDS Coalition, Central Interior Native Health Society, the Cedar Project, and the Northern HIV and Health Education Society. These organizations, and the world at large, have seen great changes since the first reported AIDS cases in the mid-1980s. Admittedly, many people still react with fear, shock and stigma when the topic of HIV/AIDS comes up. But due to great medical advances in HIV treatment, HIV is now considered a manageable chronic disease — not an automatic death sentence.

This year, Northern Health is marking World AIDS Day by introducing a new health care initiative that complements our current strategies to reduce the spread of HIV throughout northern B.C.

The initiative — which will see medical staff offer HIV testing as part of regular hospital care — will be introduced at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. beginning Monday, December 2, 2013. This new initiative is being undertaken in efforts to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS through effective screening and early detection, and to provide timely access to high-quality and safe HIV/AIDS care and treatment.

All patients over age 14 admitted to hospital will be offered an HIV test as part of their admission blood work. As with all medical interventions, every patient has the right to refuse an HIV test. This initiative is expected to be implemented in other Northern Health acute care facilities through 2014.

Why are we introducing routine HIV testing in hospitals? It’s because HIV is an important health issue with 300 to 400 new diagnoses made in BC every year. The number of new infections is not declining — and people are not being diagnosed early enough. Sixty per cent of HIV patients are diagnosed after they should already be on treatment. Evidence also shows that 25 per cent of people living with HIV are not aware of their status.

The routine offering of HIV testing has already proven successful in the Lower Mainland where Vancouver Coastal Health introduced the initiative in October 2011. Up to 94 per cent of Lower Mainland patients who are offered an HIV test as part of routine hospital care say ‘Yes’, because they appreciate knowing that they’re not being singled out to take the test.

Knowing your HIV status is so important for your health care. As health care providers, knowing our patients’ HIV status affects how we treat infections, cancers and even which vaccinations to consider. If you are tested and are diagnosed with HIV, you should begin treatment as early as possible. Why? Because early HIV treatment prolongs and improves people’s lives.

People on HIV medications can now have healthy lives, relationships, and children.

The routine offering of HIV testing initiative is funded by BC’s Ministry of Health. It’s part of the From Hope to Health: Towards an AIDS-free Generation initiative, formerly known as the STOP HIV/AIDS pilot project. Many of you are familiar with Northern Health’s STOP HIV/AIDS education and awareness campaign; one of our main goals was and is to normalize HIV testing, by urging everyone who was sexually active or using injection drugs to make the time to get an HIV test.

We’re hoping that our new routine offering of HIV testing initiative will finally take us to that next step, where HIV testing becomes the norm in health care, not the exception. But we need your help. Talk to your friends and family and encourage everyone to take an HIV test. Explain that routine HIV testing of all patients reduces stigma and improves early detection.

As we approach World AIDS Day, help us work towards an AIDS-free generation. Help us spread the word about HIV — not the disease. For more information, visit www.hiv101.ca

World AIDS Day events in Prince George:

World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil and Dinner:

Date: Friday, November 29, 2013

Time: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Place: The Fire Pit Cultural Drop-In Centre – 1120 – 3rd Ave., Prince George

Blood, Sweat, Tears & Laughter project — Play Creation Workshop, sponsored by Prince George and District Community Arts Council. This workshop is directed towards youth in and around Prince George and will engage them on their thoughts, feelings and stories concerning HIV/AIDS. These shared stories will be used by the local youth theatre group, Street Spirits, to generate a play entitled, Blood, Sweat, Tears & Laughter. The play will be filmed and turned into a resource for agencies who also wish to engage in HIV/AIDS research through theatre.

Workshop:

Date: Saturday, November 30, 3013

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Place: 1148 – 7th Ave., across from Prince George City Hall

Play performance:

Date: Sunday, December 1, 2013

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Place: ArtSpace, 1685 – 3rd Ave (above Books & Company), Prince George, BC