HIV is a big problem in Saskatchewan. The province has the highest rate of the disease in Canada, with hundreds of confirmed cases. It’s an ailment that has impacted people from all walks of life.
Deanna Bartok, HIV Strategy Coordinator with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), understands the prevalence of the disease in this province. She believes education and routine tests are the best ways to curb the spread of HIV.
“I think it’s important for the whole community to understand that everybody should be tested routinely,” she said. “It isn’t just about folks that might be at high risk of contracting it.”
Bartok brought a proposal to Yorkton City council on Jun. 25 asking them to make Jun. 27 HIV Testing Day in the area. The motion passed unanimously, leading to a day-long free HIV testing clinic at the SIGN building on Broadway Street last Wednesday.
“It’s an opportunity for folks to come out, get tested...and dispel some of those myths and misconceptions about how HIV is spread,” Bartok said.
Bartok thinks the public’s perception of HIV is rooted in misinformation and out-of-date notions.
“People still think it’s spread by sharing dishes,” she said. “We’re still stuck in 1984.”
Bartok said HIV has become a much more manageable disease over the years.
“It’s a very treatable chronic condition,” she said. “A lot of folks will live a long, healthier life well into their adult and aging years.”
Several people visited SIGN to get tested, including Councillor Mitch Hippsley. The organizers invited him as a guest.
“I was happy to be a player in their publicity,” he said.
Hippsley was surprised at the quickness and painlessness of his HIV test.
“I would recommend [testing] to anyone,” he said. “[The test] doesn’t feel like anything.”
While HIV Testing Day has come and gone, Bartok said people can get tested anytime by their doctor, at the Yorkton Health Office, or at the Turning Point program in the SIGN building.
“You can’t look at somebody and say that person does or doesn’t have the infection,” she said. “The only way to know is to get tested.”
