Why we do what we do
From The Belleville, Ontario paper (editorial)
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Public awareness and education. One can never have enough!
June 16, 2008
June 13, 2008
Alarmist or not? You decide.
Hepatitis C a ‘giant’ that sleeps no longer
Study finds incidence of illness soaring
The “sleeping giant” of hepatitis C in Canada has clearly awoken, concludes a new Alberta study that found the incidence of severe illness triggered by the liver virus — and the resulting burden on the health care system — has grown explosively.
The number of hospitalizations for serious complications of the virus, the number of deaths while in hospital and the lengths of hospital stays jumped 400% between 1994 and 2004, the Calgary-area research found.
The results outstripped earlier projections that foresaw caseloads doubling over a similar time span.
One expert says the dramatic findings should be a wake-up call for governments that spent more than $2-billion compensating the small percentage of patients who got hep C from tainted blood but have largely neglected actual medical treatment.
“Shortly following its discovery, hepatitis C was described as a sleeping giant,” says the paper, just published in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology by Dr. Robert Myers, a Calgary liver specialist. “Our data support previous findings that the giant has indeed awoken.”
The study was accompanied by an editorial, headlined “The juggernaut rolls on unchecked,” that recommends at least another $40-million be devoted to fighting the virus.
Letter to the Editor in response to the above article.
Despite alarmists, hepatitis C still sleeps
As a specialist who treats patients with chronic hepatitis C, I would recommend caution regarding the alarmist conclusions of the recent articles in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology by Dr. Robert Myers and Dr. Morris Sherman. I and several of my specialist colleagues have not noted an increase in hospitalizations or deaths over the past 15 years due to hepatitis C at our hospital. Dr. Myers does not report the actual number of deaths from hepatitis C in his study, and Dr. Sherman points out in his article that “we don’t know how many people die of hepatitis C-related consequences; all we have are estimates of questionable accuracy.”
The purported lack of success in treating patients with hepatitis C is incorrectly attributed to a lack of “hepatologists” (liver disease specialists). In fact, the correct specialty designation for liver disease specialists by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is “gastroenterology,” of which hepatology is a part. There is no shortage of gastroenterologists who are competent in the treatment of patients with hepatitis C, many with waiting times of just a few months. That wait is reasonable for this indolent disease, which takes its toll over more than 20 years in most cases.
The solution for patients with hepatitis C is unfortunately more complex than increasing government expenditures, as new cases arise unchecked from uncontrolled intravenous and intranasal illicit drug use and immigration from endemic areas. The answer more likely lies in a multi-disciplinary approach that includes a combination of measures to prevent new infections, as well as improved pharmaceuticals that are more tolerable and less costly to patients than our current regimens.
Dr. Stephen B. Sinclair, Chief of Gastroenterology, York Central Hospital, Richmond Hill, Ont.
Letter to the Editor - Response to the response
Steering the HCV Titantic
Re: Hepatitis C A ‘Giant’ That No Longer Sleeps, May 5; Despite Alarmists, Hepatitis C Still Sleeps, letter to the editor, May 7.
It was with interest that I read the National Post’s coverage of a recent study by Dr. Robert Myers of the University of Calgary, reporting the increasing burden in terms of hospitalizations from hepatitis C (HCV). I have also noted the letter by Dr. Stephen B. Sinclair of York Central Hospital, suggesting that his institution has noted any increase over the years. I do not dispute Dr. Sinclair’s observations but it is important for the readers to appreciate that the experience of a community hospital is often very different from a tertiary/quaternary university-based teaching hospital that has half a province as its referral base.
In British Columbia between 2003-05, 35% of all liver transplant recipients were HCV-infected and during that same period, new referrals of those with end-stage liver disease from all causes exceeded the availability of donor organs by a rate of five to one. The mortality of those on the B. C. liver transplant waiting list who were not fortunate to receive a transplant is approximately 30%. Furthermore, on an annual basis, in Canada, adult liver transplants are limited by organ availability to 350-400 a year, or 7,000-8,000 over 20 years. If 10% of the estimated 250,000 Canadians with HCV are allowed to develop end-stage cirrhosis over the same period, the disparity between those in need and those who can be saved would very much appear to be a cause for alarm.
More dedicated health care professionals, as well as access to and ongoing research of, anti-viral treatments are going to be needed in the future to prevent the HCV “Titanic” from hitting the iceberg.
Dr. Eric Yoshida, professor and head, Division of Gastroenterology, University of British Columbia and president, Canadian Association for the Study of Liver, Vancouver.
H/T to Sandi
May 28, 2008
Judge rules that Canada’s drug laws are unconstitutional for supervised-injection site
From the Vancouver Sun
B.C. Supreme Court Judge Ian Pitfield has just blown everyone away by saying that possession and trafficking laws are unconstitutional for addicts trying to get health-care at Vancouver’s supervised-injection site. They’re too broad and arbitrary, he said, and contravene a person’s right to life and security. This bombshell means that the injection site can stay open until 2009, by which time Pitfield says the government should bring its drug laws into line to allow for medical use of illegal substances as part of a health-care program like Insite.
May 16, 2008
HCV Conference Photos
Anna Marie Letwin, Canadian Liver Foundation
Michelle Graham, St. Leonard’s House & Anna Marie Letwin
Dr. Stuart Gordon, Henry Ford Hospital
Andrea Monkman, Hepatitis C Network
Connor McCollum. PASAN
Audience
Brenda Bartos, Marvel School of Beauty
Lisa Baillargeon, Mind’s Eye Tattoo & Body Piercing
Personal Award
Community Recognition Award
Tsitsi Watt, CATIE
Liz Atkinson-Plato, Teen Health Centre, Street Health Program
John Plater
Andrea Monkman, Byron Klingbyle & Louella Tobias
Vigil 1
Vigil 2
Vigil 3
Progress made in curing hep C, Windsor group told
Progress made in curing hep C, Windsor group told
Rebecca Turcotte
The Windsor Star
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Photograph by : Rob Gurdebeke, The Windsor Star Dr. Stuart Gordon of the Henry Ford Hospital talks Thursday about the advancements that have been made in treating hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C is no longer a lifelong debilitating disease and can now be cured for more than half of patients, an expert on the disease said Thursday.
“Back in the early 90s we were really curing precious few — no more that five or 10 per cent,” said Dr. Stuart Gordon, the head of hepatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. “We’re definitely making progress overall in curing hepatitis C.”
Over the past decade drug companies have developed new drugs that more effectively combats hepatitis C. Gordon is optimistic that with these medical advancements, more than 70 per cent of patients will be cured by 2010.
Gordon was in Windsor to speak to health-care workers, community groups and patients at a conference organized by the Hepatitis C Network of Windsor and Essex County.
As many as 300,000 Canadians have the virus, which affects the liver. It is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, such as receiving tainted blood transfusions, sharing needles and having medical treatments with unsterile equipment.
“There is still kind of a stigma about it,” said Dan MacDougall, who was diagnosed in 1998. “When people find out they have it, there isn’t enough information out there.”
MacDougall, 57, helped start a support group for hepatitis C patients.
“Everybody needs a place where you can go to talk to people who are experiencing this and are at different stages of the disease,” he said.
His illness is so advanced he needs a liver transplant. He is often fatigued, and has pain in his joints and muscles. But, the message he shares with those newly diagnosed is one of hope.
“This is not a death sentence,” he said. “There are good things coming along, and the percentage of success is increasing exponentially.”
© The Windsor Star 2008
February 28, 2008
40,000 US Clinic Patients Exposed to HIV, HBV & HCV
40,000 US Clinic Patients Exposed to HIV, HBV & HCV
US officials Thursday said 40,000 people may have been infected with HIV and hepatitis in a major health scare after a Las Vegas clinic was found to have re-used syringes and medicine vials.Authorities in southern Nevada said they were notifying some 40,000 patients who received anesthesia injections at the clinic’s endoscopy center between March 2004 and January 11, 2008 about potential exposure to hepatitis and HIV.
They recommended in a statement that the patients “contact their primary care physicians or health care providers to get tested for hepatitis C as well as hepatitis B and HIV.”
The move comes after several acute cases of hepatitis C showed up in the area. Six people have been diagnosed with the disease since January, which is three times higher than the yearly average for the Las Vegas region.
The three first cases came to light in January, and three other patients were subsequently found to have been infected with hepatitis C.
Five of the infected people all received anesthesia injections on the same day in the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in the sprawling city of Las Vegas.
(More at the Link above)
February 9, 2008
New Session of “Optimizing Life with Long-term Conditions”
The Optimizing Life in Windsor Program starts on Monday, April 7, 2008.
Optimizing Life workshops meet once a week for 6 weeks and are led by trained volunteers from the Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes, most of whom live with a long-term condition themselves. We welcome participants who are caregivers or those with a partner or family member who is living with chronic illness.
Everyone in the program receives a resource book and program materials. A registration fee of $35 covers the cost of materials.
To Register for Optimizing Life In Windsor contact Liz at (519) 252-3777, Ext. 223
February 3, 2008
Become a Fan of the Hep C Network!
The Hepatitis C Network is now on Facebook!
Become a Fan by clicking on the link below:
Hepatitis C Network Facebook Page
Our Facebook page provides updates about our upcoming conference as well as opportunities for discussion and sharing. Please join us.
Judge’s ignorance of AIDS draws fire
Jan 30, 2008 04:30 AM
Tracey Tyler
Legal Affairs Reporter
An Ontario judge is at the centre of a misconduct investigation after insisting a witness who is HIV-positive and has Hepatitis C don a mask while testifying in his courtroom.
Read the full story at the link below.
Letter to the Editor
Feb 01, 2008 04:30 AM
Judge’s ignorance of AIDS draws fire
This story left us utterly flabbergasted. We were shocked that an Ontario judge was so uninformed about HIV as to insist that an HIV-positive witness wear a mask before testifying.
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, in partnership with the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic, has lodged a complaint with the Ontario Judicial Council over this issue and we support their efforts in ensuring it is appropriately addressed. This is just one example, among many, of the ignorance that contributes to stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Neither HIV nor the hepatitis C virus is an airborne virus and neither can be transmitted through casual contact. HIV/AIDS can only be transmitted if infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast milk reach the HIV-susceptible cells in the blood, usually through a break in the skin or absorption through mucosal membranes found in the vagina, rectum, mouth, urethra, nose and eyelids. HIV also does not survive when exposed to air, heat and light.
That someone holding the rank of judge is unaware of these basic facts of HIV/AIDS transmission is a telling tale about HIV/AIDS education. Sadly, we still need to educate individuals about the facts of HIV/AIDS to prevent the spread of the illness, as well as to prevent related discrimination. We ask all Canadians to learn more about the risks of transmission and to have compassion for those with HIV/AIDS.
Monique Doolittle-Romas, Canadian AIDS Society, Ottawa
December 5, 2007
Homeless service expands
| Monica Wolfson |
| Windsor Star |
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Health care for the homeless got a boost this week as the Street Health program moved to a new storefront location and extended its hours.
The 18-year-old health-care program — for the homeless and people who are at risk of becoming homeless and don’t have a family doctor — is now located at 711-4 Pelissier St. and open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The program used to be located at the Salvation Army two mornings a week.
“The most common complaint I get is they say, ‘You know, I walk a lot,’” said Sharon McDonald, a registered practical nurse who has an expertise in foot care. “A lot of (the homeless) don’t own nail clippers or scissors. A lot of them have nail problems.”
Some of the medical staff, which includes two nurse practitioners and a registered practical nurse, also work at the Teen Health Centre. Both programs are funded by the Ministry of Health.
Medical services manager Kathy Lally-Edwards was able to recruit two Canadian nurses who were working in Detroit hospitals to go back to the University of Windsor for a year to become nurse practitioners, who can perform some of the functions of a doctor, such as diagnosing minor problems and prescribing some medicines.
Nurse practitioner Kristin Lepain said working in the clinic is rewarding.
“The patients are appreciative,” she said, because they’re used to being abandoned by society.
NEW SPACE
The new space, which includes a waiting room, two examination rooms, offices and a meeting room, is considerably larger than the former location.
Patients will also have more privacy when providing confidential information.
At the other location, “people in the waiting room could overhear conversations,” said Liz Atkinson-Plato, a community health educator. “The guys staying at the Salvation Army in the TV room could hear the conversations in the clinic and we could hear them. This really provides us an opportunity to do more outreach and case management.”
Many of the patients don’t have a health card. Atkinson-Plato helps clients prove residency and citizenship to the government so that they can get health care and other benefits.
The street-front location has already attracted new customers.
“We are getting a lot of the hidden homeless we didn’t see before,” Atkinson-Plato said. “They tend to bunk up together with a lot of them sharing accommodations.”
The clinic has also seen more single mothers, who might have been intimidated from using the former clinic location because the Salvation Army is predominantly male.
Dr. Raphael Cheung, assistant dean of the Windsor campus of the Schulich School of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario, said the Street Health program is an education opportunity for his students, who will volunteer there once they arrive in the fall for the medical school’s first term.
“It affords learners the ability to improve communication skills and connect with people who are homeless,” Cheung said. “Studies have shown that when you have clinics like these, you have reduced visits by the homeless to emergency rooms.”
© The Windsor Star 2007
