Just as the province is seeing a spike in new HIV cases, the Lunenburg County Sexual Health Centre is closed for the next month and a half.
The centre provides free condoms, pregnancy tests, and sexual and reproductive health advice.
Their discretionary grant from the Department of Health and Wellness came late and Julie Veinot, director of the centre, chose to go on hiatus for the summer, rather than cutting the days they’re open year round.
The centre is generally open four days a week and Veinot felt it was important to keep those hours throughout the school year because they do many presentations in schools.
Veinot says they also had to forgo a summer student this year because of the hiatus.
This isn’t the first time this has happened and Veinot says they haven’t seen a funding increase in over a decade.
She would like to be able to provide more services including anonymous STI and HIV testing, something the Halifax Sexual Health Centre is able to do.
“If you don’t have a doctor or nurse practitioner, you’re limited to the walk in clinic which is really not the ideal place to get pre and post test counseling,” says Veinot. “You can get tested anywhere in the province for HIV but that anonymous option is only available in Halifax and Sydney.”
She says anonymity is important because of the stigma of HIV.
Several reports have emerged of a medical advisory being sent to Nova Scotian physicians and nurse practitioners by the Nova Scotia Health Authority, advising of a significant increase in reports of newly diagnosed HIV.
Veinot says it’s not yet known what that means, she says it could be that more people are getting tested.
NSHA is looking into what the increase means.
In the meantime, Veinot says she’ll continue to keep her eye on the situation and leave free condoms at Sun Life Insurance at Logan Road in Bridgewater.
The centre shares the office with Sun Life whose employees have allowed Veinot to leave a bowl of condoms out for anyone who needs them.
They’ll open their doors again in September.
Story and photo by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
