The Middlesex-London Health Unit is banking on a face-to-face approach to reverse an alarming increase in HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users.

The health board gave the green light Thursday to develop a strategy that could result in the creation of a new outreach team. Members would develop relationships with people who inject drugs to determine the underlying issues behind their addiction.

“If you don’t know where you’re getting your next meal or sleeping tonight, it’s hard to focus on the HIV that will affect you months or years in the future,” Dr. Chris Mackie, medical officer of health for London and Middlesex, said.

“But when someone you trust is working with you and shows that they care about you, they can have influence and help you change perspective on these things regardless of what’s going on in your life.”

Health unit staff will over the summer research how street-level outreach teams work in other centres and consult with a street outreach team in British Columbia.

Their findings will help shape a strategy that will be presented to the board in the fall.

The health unit says a new approach is needed in London and Middlesex for helping injection drug users because they are driving increases in HIV and hepatitis C rates.

Though Ontario’s infection rates have declined since 2005, local HIV rates have increased by more 50 per cent, from 5.9 cases per 100,000 people to 9. Hepatitis C rates have soared from 32.2 cases per 100,000 to 53.7, in 10 years.

Brian Lester, executive director at Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, said one of the root causes of the increases could be users’ inability to make rational decisions while under the influence of drugs.

“It is the uptake of crystal meth abuse in our community that is having a profound impact on individual abilities to practice safer injection drug use methods,” he said during the health board meeting.

Part of the response to what the health unit calls “an emerging public health emergency” will be further research into the link between mental health and drug abuse.

The health unit is working with community partners to develop a drug strategy that could include the creation of safe injection sites where staff distribute new needles and guard against overdoses.

Mackie sees the sites as a tool that will help drug users connect with people who can help them.

“Harm reduction sites like a supervised injection site can be the door into the system that gets people connected with more long-term resources that can change their lives,” Mackie said.