ILL WOMEN USERS STIGMATIZED: REPORT

Scoring street drugs is often the easier alternative to pain relief
than acquiring prescription medication, according to a report based
on a group of female users in the Downtown Eastside.

A two-year study conducted by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug
Users Care Team found that 70 per cent of women requesting health
services were stigmatized by the health-care system.

"It's easier to get drugs on the street than drugs from a doctor,"
said Dr. Amy Salmon, principal investigator from the Women's Health
Research Institute.

Three of the 50 women in the study died before the report was
completed. One committed suicide, another overdosed and the other
died of untreated health conditions.

The report found nearly 40 per cent had been denied pain medication
by health workers despite significant health issues such as arthritis
and diabetes.

Salmon said poor communication between patients and doctors was one
of the system's biggest failures.

"These women aren't always understood or even well-respected," she said.