By Rita Trichur
HIV infection rates for injection-drug users have hit epidemic levels in Ottawa-Carleton, and Centretown is one of the communities hardest hit, says regional Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes.
This means local HIV infection rates are the highest in Ontario. Medical experts warn if rates continue to rise, HIV will crossover to the non-drug user population, putting the entire community at greater risk.
Danielle Dorschner, the health department’s program manager, estimates there are 3,000 injection drug users in the region. About 300 of them are HIV-positive. That’s 2.6 times higher than the Ontario average.
“We have an epidemic here,” says Holmes. “The worry is once there gets to be a significant number of HIV infections the numbers won’t remain in the drug population that use needles.”
A report by the region’s health department cites sharing dirty needles as the main cause of the increase, but adds the popularity of injecting cocaine has increased the number of needles used in the region.
“There are some suppositions that cocaine is the drug of choice in Ottawa-Carleton,” says Holmes. “And when somebody is on a cocaine binge they will use many, many needles in a day.”
To combat the problem, the region’s community services committee is asking regional council for an additional $10,000 to expand the needle-exchange program. The program currently costs the region $185,000 per year.
Holmes says the money will be used to award five $2,000 contracts to community agencies to clean parks and streets littered with dirty needles and other drug paraphernalia.
“I think it is extremely important that we pick up any used needles,” says Holmes. “The clients coming to the region’s SITE van are dropping dirty needles, and it’s our responsibility to pick them up.”
About 19 per cent of clients using the SITE van’s needle-exchange program are HIV-positive. The van has 700 regular clients, but last year 6,000 people visited the van to exchange used needles for clean ones.
Regional council is also considering new disposal bins for Somerset West and Sandy Hill.
Holmes says in Centretown, Dundonald Park, Willow Street and Rochester Street are notorious trouble spots for dirty needles.
“They can be anywhere – down alleys, in landscaping areas, along roads. We just have to make sure the children are not at risk.”
One community agency has already taken action. Centre 507 on Bank Street, is a local drop-in centre for the homeless, unemployed, mental health patients and drug addicts.
Last year, the centre participated in a five-week pilot project with the health department, to clean up parks and roads in Centretown and neighbouring Hintonburg.
“It went really, really well,” says co-ordinator Julie Nelson. “They went out twice a week – that’s 10 times – and they found 16 needles.”
Nelson says drug addictions cross all class levels, but in Centretown poverty compounds the issue.
“I think that when people are in poverty or who face issues such as homelessness or addictions or mental health, they may turn to drugs to escape some of their problems,” says Nelson. “But certainly having poverty would raise levels of hopelessness and people’s anxiety.”
Since 1983, a total of 1,741 HIV infections have been reported in Ottawa-Carleton. Presently, more than 1,300 people in the region are HIV-positive and almost 400 people have died of AIDS or HIV-related illnesses.
The decision to expand the needle-exchange program will be made on Feb. 24, when regional council finalizes its budget.