New HIV Pilot Project for Prince George

Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:12 AM

Prince George, B.C.- A unique pilot program will get underway shortly in Prince George and in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to seek and treat vulnerable populations who are either undiagnosed or untreated for HIV.

The four-year, $48-million pilot called Seek and Treat is the first of its kind in Canada and believed to be the first internationally. It will expand access to HIV/AIDS medications among hard-to-reach populations.

By reaching and engaging more British Columbians living with HIV/AIDS in Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART), not only will better care be provided but the treatment will also significantly reduce or eliminate the virus' ability to spread.

The pilot emphasizes providing focused, enhanced care and support, such as HAART, which was pioneered by Dr. Montaner at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in the early 1990s, and introduced as the new standard of care by the Centre at the 1996 International AIDS Conference in Vancouver.

HAART is available free of charge to all HIV- infected B.C. residents through the BC Centre for Excellence. Since 2004, the number of people using HAART has doubled to more than 5,000.

"Seek and Treat expands the reach of HIV treatment and will result in decreased progression to AIDS among HIV- infected individuals and fewer new HIV infections among those at risk," said Dr. Julio Montaner, director of

the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the original developer of this innovative concept. "Through Premier Campbell's commitment to HIV treatment, care and research, we will reduce AIDS-related deaths and HIV infections in B.C., and we will show the world how to do it."

Seek and Treat will also open up the opportunity to respond to regional increases in AIDS infection and mortality. This will target HIV care in the North, Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and among Aboriginal populations as recommended in the provincial health officer's report, Pathways to Health and Healing.

Engagement in the pilot will be strictly voluntary, using standard practices including participants' informed consent.

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Posted on Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:12 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: agitprop on February 4 2010 12:12 PM

Location? Out of the downtown I hope.

Posted by: rambleon on February 4 2010 12:37 PM

Where would you like it agitprop? Next door to your house? Inside the mall?

Posted by: Harbinger on February 4 2010 1:59 PM

$48 MILLION dollars? I'd sure like to see those receipts! That would pay for our PAC or our new cop shop. Hand out condoms and a brochure and "Presto" we can lock up more people or entertain them with our new PAC building. So simple!

Posted by: swingline on February 4 2010 2:24 PM

I for one would rather see the money going to treating HIV/AIDS than entertaining people at a new PAC...

Posted by: Harbinger on February 4 2010 10:39 PM

How about a shiny new RCM Police station instead. With a Tims built in? State of the art cells. Shooting range in the basement? Besides, you know darn well that Mounties don't like to be transferred to towns that start with Fort or Prince. $48 million dollars won't cure HIV/AIDS. Only people and their behaviour can. Silly goose!

Posted by: HIV/AIDS Educator on February 5 2010 8:54 AM

To those of you who see it as a waste of money to treat those who are living with HIV, I think you should consider this. What if it was your son, daughter, brother sister, mother or father that was living with HIV? Would you not want them to recieve treatment so that they could live a longer, healthier life? Put yourself in those shoes and maybe you'll have some compassion.
Many people think that if you have HIV then you did something to "deserve it", this is called ignorance. A lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS instills fear and stimga in people, which in turn creates barriers to learning about it.
The only way to keep yourself safe from the HIV virus is to learn how to prevnt yourself from getting it.
Also, may people are not aware that by treating those living with HIV you are also potentially lowering the viral load of someone living with HIV. By lowering the viral load of someone living with HIV you are in turn lowering the chance of that person infecting someone else with the virus because the amount of virus in the body has been lowered. There's a little bit of HIV 101 for you.
I am not trying to offend anyone, I am just stating the facts. Cheers. Have a wonderful day all.

Posted by: Mr. PG on February 5 2010 7:37 PM

We closed the PG Hotel and got the bums out of George Street, and now we are going to reinfect the same street, just because rambleon does not want it next door to his house.