After marking World AIDS Day on Sunday, Saskatchewan advocates for residents living with HIV/AIDS are continuing to promote awareness about a lack of support for those dealing with the conditions.

Saskatchewan continues to lead the country when it comes to HIV diagnosis with a rate five times the national average, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In November, an HIV-positive Saskatoon woman experiencing homelessness died from complications due to an infection she acquired as a result of her weakened immune system.

The Sanctum Care Group, which supports people affected by HIV and AIDS, said the woman’s story is not unique.

“When I look at the patient population that we’re dealing with, over 70 per cent of them are homeless on admission into our program,” said Katelyn Roberts, the care group’s co-founder and executive director. “Over 90 per cent of them are actively using.”

Roberts said the woman was admitted to hospital and later discharged at night to a shelter with no available beds.

“They actually took her back to a different hospital, and that hospital did not agree to admit her,” Roberts said.

In an effort to prevent such situations, Sanctum operates an HIV-AIDS Response Team, which links hospital patients to continuing care after they are discharged.

“Even though our team was involved with that woman in the hospital, there was no communication about her discharge,” Roberts said.

Team members found her outside with no shoes or jacket. They were eventually able to take her to another hospital. Her condition however, worsened and she did not survive.

Roberts said she believes there were at least four pre-mature hospital discharges last month.

“We recognize that there are increasing pressures in the acute care system that are likely part of the reason why we’re seeing that.”

In a statement,  the Saskatchewan Health Authority said “that a patient is only identified as ready for discharge when the doctor responsible for their hospital care has reviewed their case, and determined they are medically stable and are no longer required to be in hospital.

“Patients who no longer require acute medical care will be discharged from hospital.”

The health authority also said that if a patient does not have a home, it will ask for permission to consult with Client Patient Access Services, the health authority social work department and other support services.

“If a shelter bed is the only available discharge option, the SHA checks availability and does not discharge a patient unless a shelter bed is confirmed. There may also be extenuating circumstances where an individual is not supported to enter a shelter.

“In all cases, discharge planning and connections can be refused by a patient. However, refusal does not result in a continued hospital stay when that is no longer medically required.”

Roberts said the situation speaks to the overall issue Saskatchewan faces when it comes to HIV.

The Saskatchewan Infectious Disease Care Network recently completed its 2024 Saskatoon HIV program evaluation.

The report recommends a provincial HIV program with long-term funding. Currently, there is no strategic plan to address HIV in the province.

But support groups say the fight against HIV lies heavily in housing and addiction support.

“They need to look into harm reduction a little bit better,” said Darryl Jordan, a peer health navigator for the Persons Living With AIDS Network. “They’ve cut a lot of it back. We need to see people getting clean, safe equipment to use if they’re using drugs.”

Jordan said he also believes more education on HIV is essential to protect people.

“We need to be educating people that if they go in and get treated early or get diagnosed early, they can find out that they’ve got to have the battle,” Jordan said.