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
Read The Full Story