by Melissa Jameson, Revelstoke Times Review
October 03, 2007
Start talking about sexual health and many people cringe – but the nurses and volunteers at SAFER. are all for talking sex.
SAFER. stands for sexual awareness for everyone in Revelstoke.
“We knew of a clinic in Whistler called S.A.F.E., sexual awareness for everyone,” said Vivian Mitchell, president of the SAFER. board. “We just added the ‘r’ and made it SAFER.”
SAFER. is the Revelstoke branch board of Options for Sexual Health and has been operating for seven years.
Currently the drop-in clinic is held each Wednesday evening at Community Connections. The clinic is confidential and unbiased. There is information, testing for sexually transmitted infections, as well as low-cost contraceptives.
“It’s counselling around their sexual health,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell said having the clinic has increased the sexual knowledge among young people. Val Kahl, clinic nurse supervisor and field educator has spent time in classrooms.
“Val does sex health education with specific grades plus we have the clinic which a lot of young people use,” said Mitchell.
According to Mitchell, the majority of people who use the clinic are between the ages of 14 and 29. However, she said she’d like to see older people use the clinic as well. Whether it’s newly divorced persons, or people who simply want more information on contraceptives available to them.
“Those people are sometimes not as aware,” she said.
And while there may be a stigma about what kinds of people go to a sexual health clinic, Kahl says it is for anyone.
“Some people come in for counselling around options or for pap smears because they can’t do it in the day because of child care issues,” said Kahl.
The clinic is also able to provide its clients with low-cost birth control.
“I think we have the time to spend discussing how to use it, what the side effects are,” said Kahl. “We just spend the time we need. It’s definitely informed consent.”
Currently the SAFER. clinic has about 400 clients who come and go.
“We have up to 23 clients in a night,” said Kahl. “Fifteen to 20 clients is a normal night right now.”
The clinic also has another nurse and a doctor as well as volunteers who are receptionists and look after pill pick-up.
“We’re always looking for volunteers in the clinic,” said Vivian.
Kahl said if the community continues to grow she can foresee the clinic getting bigger.
“If you look at the way Whistler went, if our ski hill and community becomes like that we could look at needing more time, needing more doctors and needing more nurses,” she said.
Currently, the SAFER. clinic is able to operate because of numerous partnerships. Community Connections donates the space for the clinic and the hospital auxiliary donates money each year for medical supplies.
Mitchell said SAFER.’s biggest supporter in the beginning was the Columbia Basin Trust.
“We’re really pleased they helped us start,” said Mitchell.
SAFER. doctor Rosemary Kelsall received the Jeffrey Dolph award, one volunteer received the volunteer of the year award and Mitchell has received the Dorothy Shaw award for leadership.
“We feel pretty proud that we’ve had recongition for our work here,” said Mitchell.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the SAFER. clinic can contact Kahl at 837-4481 or Mitchell at 837-4915. Commitment is a few hours a month.
For further information about options for sexual health visit www.optionsforsexualhealth,org. If you are unable to get to the clinic and have a question for sexual health you can visit www.wontgetweird.com or call 1-800-SEX-SENSE.
