THUNDER BAY - Some of the most vulnerable women in the community are benefiting from a clinic that aims to specifically treat not only their health needs, but also provides a safe and welcoming space to connect with other women.
The Women’s Sexual Health Clinic that is operated by Elevate NWO has been in operation for more than a year and on Thursday it received a $1,500 donation from Soroptimist International of Thunder Bay to assist it in providing gender-specific programming not available in the city of Thunder Bay.
“When we started this it was to meet an unmet need, so we took it out of other funding so that meant we had to give up other pieces of work in order to fund this clinic,” said Elevate NWO executive director, Holly Gauvin. “It meant that it is on a really shoe string budget. So this donation from our wonderful sisters from Soroptimist means that there are more resources we can bring to this clinic, including meals, things women can take away and take home with them, and other things that will aid in their health care.”
The Women’s Sexual Health Clinic supports the health needs of women living with HIV, Hepatitis C, women struggling with addictions, working in the sex trade, or women who may be at a higher risk of contracting those conditions or overdosing.
“Women are often secondary or considered as an afterthought as it pertains to health care, particularly around HIV or Hepatitis C and harm reduction,” Gauvin said. “Having a gender specific program ensures that women are supported in the ways that they need to be supported, which may be different from their male counterparts.”
In the past year, the clinic, which operates on the second Tuesday of every month between 5 and 8 p.m., has seen between 15 and 18 women who attend regularly and more than 40 unique individuals visiting.
Tonya Muchano, one of the coordinators of the Women’s Sexual Health Clinic, said having a clinic designed specifically to serve the needs of women who may be in a vulnerable position, allows women an option to seek care that may otherwise not be available.
“Especially for vulnerable women, if they don’t have a family doctor, they may not have great experiences at walk-in clinics, so coming into an environment that is really warm and welcoming and genuine and friendly, they may feel more comfortable accessing services from us,” she said.
The services provided at the Women’s Sexual Health Clinic go beyond serving just health care needs. Women are connected to housing services, addictions services, and helping to manage health issues that may not otherwise be dealt with.
“But most of the time the women come for the camaraderie, they come for the experience of sharing space with other women and connecting with other women and getting advice from other women and enjoying a good meal and having a good time,” Muchano said.
The money donated by the Soroptimists will be used to allow the clinic to continue providing services to the community. Marlene Crago, a member of the board with the Soroptimists International of Thunder Bay, said the organization stands for women helping women and seeks to assist organizations making a difference in the city.
“There are a lot of women who could really benefit from what they are doing here, women on the street especially,” she said. “We do a lot for women on the street. We do comfort kits and give them out to the women. It’s for women’s health. They need to do something. It’s almost at epidemic proportions.”
For more information about the Women’s Sexual Health Clinic, visit the Elevate NWO website.
