Presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Health

This presentation was made to the Select Standing Committee on Health of the Government of British Columbia. In this presentation, the BCPWA outlines why HIV remains a serious threat to British Columbians, the epidemiology of the disease, implications of viral mutation for treatment, health care providers lack of knowledge of HIV treatments, and implications on health care funding due to the HIV epidemic. The Society makes recommendations to the Committee further to British Columbia's Framework for Action on HIV/AIDS to involve people living with HIV/AIDS and community based organizations to save health care dollars in the fight against AIDS and to review the definition of prevention to include health promotion to slow progression of the disease and reduce transmission thus reducing health care costs.