British Columbia repurposes its AIDS Ward, opening new opportunities for HIV treatment

They called it Ward 10C. Never “the AIDS ward.” But it was understood that this was the place where patients went if they had HIV. Stigma and despair overshadowed the limited medical interventions that could be provided. Opened in 1997, the ward saw an average of one AIDS-related death every day during its darkest days.

But today, in a historic symbolic move, St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver announced that Ward 10C has outlived its role as the place where life ended.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and other officials led an official ceremony on Tuesday lauding the ward’s metamorphosis as a sign that AIDS is no longer a death sentence, and that HIV is virtually under control in the province.

The ward’s new purpose will be to provide cutting-edge care and treatment for people living with HIV, as well as treatment related to bacterial and viral infections like chronic hepatitis B and C among people at risk for HIV.

According to the government, AIDS deaths have fallen by more than 80% in the past decade and new HIV infections have been cut by two-thirds in the province.

UNAIDS
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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below

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