HEALTH OFFICIALS WILL TAKE PART IN HARM REDUCTION SYMPOSIUM

Some 200 Island health officials worried about the spread of HIV,
hepatitis C and sexual transmitted diseases will converge on Nanaimo
today for a symposium on harm reduction.

Sponsored by NARSF (formerly known as the Nanaimo and Area Resource
Services for Families), the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the
province, the symposium will examine how harm reduction strategies can
be applied to direct services to people at risk, said Gordon Cote, the
director of NARSF.

Cote said one of the major concerns he expects the symposium to deal
with is "what can a community like Nanaimo do to foster a process of
change."

He admits that not all people approve of "harm reduction" strategies
his organization and VIHA have practised in the past, noting the
public's concern when NARSF started its needle exchange program for
intravenous drug users.

Nanaimo's social planner John Horn agreed that harm reduction
strategies can be a touchy subject but that health officials and
groups like NARSF have to be more pragmatic and can't dwell on
moralistic attitudes.

"The only way to reduce harm is to look at the problems from a
non-judgmental neutral perspective," said Horn.

He said some religions frown upon giving condoms to people who may be
not be practising safe sex.