Clinical Sciences Plenary: A Panel Discussion on the Recent Epidemic of HIV in Saskatchewan
Dr. Kurt Williams, Dr. Moira McKinnon, Dr. John Mark Opondo, Margaret Akan
The clinical sciences plenary reminded CAHR participants of why Saskatoon was selected to host the conference this year, by focusing attention on the alarming growth of the HIV epidemic in Saskatchewan. Dr. Kurt Williams, co-chair of this year’s conference, opened the session by outlining some of the challenges faced by health care workers seeking to deliver optimal care to people living with HIV/AIDS in the city and province. In particular, these include the relative paucity of infectious diseases specialists in Saskatoon, patients’ geographic barriers to accessing care (nearly 50% of the Positive Living Program’s patients travel from outside Saskatoon to visit the clinic), and the 60% prevalence of hepatitis C and B co-infection. New paradigms for delivering HIV/AIDS care featuring decentralization of care and expanded roles for case managers are being developed to address these challenges. Complementing Dr. Williams’ comments were presentations on the local epidemiology of HIV/AIDS by Dr. Moira McKinnon, Chief Medical Health Officer for the Province of Saskatchewan, and Dr. John Mark Opondo, Deputy Medical Health Officer for the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority. Strikingly, Saskatchewan saw 20.8 new cases of HIV per 100,000 individuals in 2008, far higher than the national rate of 9.3 cases per 100,000, with a marked increase since 2004-2005. Improved surveillance may partially account for this increase, but other potential explanations include alarming rates of injection drug use, sharing of injection equipment within families, and the structural violence imposed by childhood trauma and chronic poverty. A recurring theme throughout the plenary was the disproportionate burden of the epidemic among persons of self-reported Aboriginal and Métis descent in the Province, and among women. It was fitting therefore that the closing speaker of the plenary was Ms. Margaret Akan, Chief Executive Officer of the All Nations Hope AIDS Network, who discussed the importance of listening to personal stories and reminded the audience of seven key teachings that may help overcome the HIV epidemic: Honesty, Humility, Truth, Wisdom, Love, Respect and Bravery.