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

published on May 28, 2014 in UNAIDS

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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(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.