Healthcare in Canada  Health Home >> Healthcare in Canada >> Health news Written by: JON WILLING, QMI Agency Aug. 13, 2010

OTTAWA – The sexual health centre is so hectic that Ottawa public health will ask city council for more money to hire additional staff to deal with a booming caseload of sexually transmitted infections.

“It’s pretty much no different from a family medical clinic,” program manager Andrew Hendriks said at the Clarence St. walk-in centre Thursday.

“It’s definitely packed.”

The centre saw 4,530 people pass through the doors between April and June, making it the highest tally of clients in one quarter since 2005.

Hendriks expects the number to rise even more this quarter.

AdHe said there has always been a demand in Ottawa for sexual health services but lately more people are seeking advice from city experts.

There has been a large increase in the number of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in Ottawa, he said. For example, the number of reported cases of chlamydia — the most frequently reported of the three — jumped 52% between 2005 and 2009.

Dr. Vera Etches, the city’s associate medical officer of health, said clinics in other cities are seeing a similar trend.

“We know the rate of sexually transmitted infections are increasing,” Etches said, noting that there’s no simple answer to why the numbers are going up.

There are 80 city staff who work in the sexual health unit and 35 of them are dedicated to the clinic.

On a typical Thursday the clinic will see several dozen clients but Mondays are typically the busiest days for staff. It’s not uncommon for nurses to stay late to see people who have waited in line. Staff have developed a triage system so the most serious cases are handled quickly.

In addition to infection tests and treatment, the clinic provides pregnancy tests, emergency and affordable contraception, Hepatitis A and B vaccines, counselling and workshops.

Etches said ideally the program would like to hire eight more nurses and open a new sexual health centre.

But it’s not clear exactly how much money they would need.

The centre could help thousands more if it had added resources, she said.

Etches said staff are seeing potential clients walk away from the clinic when it’s busy.

Sometimes there will be a line already forming at the clinic door before it opens.

The most common client is between 15 and 29 years old, although nurses are seeing more men in their 30s and 40s with symptoms of syphilis.

Sexual health services run on a budget of about $1.5 million but it also generates some revenue from OHIP and contraception sales.

There are also satellite clinics and outreach services operated by the unit.

“Really, the next step is to expand,” Hendriks said.

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