Health News For Champlain
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Otawa Public Health
Sexual health satellite clinics expand services in city’s west end
Ottawa - Ottawa Public Health (OPH), in partnership with the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre and its satellite site the South-Nepean Community Health Centre announced the official opening of a community-based sexual health satellite clinic in Barrhaven. OPH also announced the expansion of its Kanata sexual health satellite clinic.
These initiatives are part of a three-year strategy adopted by the Ottawa Board of Health to address gaps in the provision of frontline sexual health services in Ottawa.
“After a record number of visits to the Sexual Health Centre on Clarence Street in the second quarter of this year, it is clear that increasing our capacity for sexual health services in Ottawa needs to be a priority,” said Councillor Diane Holmes, Chair of the Board of Health. “I am proud to say that these new clinics will help meet these needs.”
“By expanding the Kanata satellite clinic, and opening a brand new clinic in Barrhaven, OPH is increasing its service to our communities,” said Councillor Jan Harder, Barrhaven Ward Councillor and member of the Ottawa Board of Health. “These new clinics will increase the reach of sexual health services throughout the city.”
The new clinics will provide free testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), birth control, free counselling on healthy sexuality, HIV testing and other important sexual health services.
“STI rates have been steadily increasing in the last ten years in Ottawa, chlamydia and gonorrhoea specifically among youth,” said Dr. Isra Levy, Medical Officer of Health. “Increasing the ease of access to OPH sexual health services is a crucial step in eliminating gaps in the priority areas of our city”.
“The addition of these sexual health clinics will broaden the basket of services available to residents of this area at our community health centre,” said Wanda MacDonald, Executive Director of the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre and the South-Nepean Community Health Centre. “We look forward to our continued partnership with OPH and to inviting youth to take advantage of these very important services.”
For more information on the Sexual Health Centre satellite clinics, please visit ottawa.ca/health or call the OPH information line at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656).