By Angela Hill

Provincial HIV strategy released

Dec 1, 2010 | 5:40 AM

Saskatchewan's HIV strategy released by the Ministry of Health shows 200 new cases of HIV in Saskatchewan in 2009.

The report appeared on the Ministry of Health website early Wednesday morning in time for World AIDS Day.

While Dr, Moira McKinnon, chief medical health officer for the province, couldn’t release many details from the implementation of the strategy, she said a leadership team will be formed including a clinician, program director, network co-ordinator, public health people and pharmacists, part time, and an administration person.

The ministry is also in negotiation with a community-based organization that will administer the new team, but McKinnon stayed mum on the organizations name.

“There will still be considerable input from region health authorities and community-based organizations and the ministry, through the steering group,” she said.

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The Prince Albert Parkland Health Region is looking forward to the addition of a position to work in the Prince Albert sexual health clinic, Access Place.

“The one big thing we will be getting out of the strategy … is an HIV co-ordinator, the five regions that have the highest rates of HIV are each getting a funded positions,” said Lynnda Berg, vice-president of primary and community care.

The position will be based in the health region, but work with the province to manage HIV cases in Prince Albert, she said.

“It’s certainly going to help to have provincial management because the one thing we find particularly with HIV (positive) people, or people who are at risk of that and injection drug users, (is that) they are very mobile, so having a provincial approach is a good strategy for that,” she said.

Berg said she is looking forward to seeing these things implemented.

“When you have more resources into detection and treatment then (HIV) can be quite a well-controlled illness, if it’s treated, but again that takes resources to do the follow up. So I’m hopeful in that regard,” she said.

McKinnon said she believes there will be new resources attached to the strategy.

“It will be significant,” she said.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health said no new money would be announced until the next budget cycle in March.

ahill@panow.com