Island Sexual Health Society won the Helen and Fred Bentley Award for Excellence of Achievement for its Belmont secondary school sexual health clinic.
The award is “meant to recognize and publicize the outstanding achievement and
program excellence of members of the Canadian Federation of Sexual Health,” says the
federation’s website.
Belmont’s sexual health clinic is open one day a week for students and offers answers to questions, free condoms, birth control prescriptions, pap tests, pregnancy tests and screenings for sexually transmitted
infections.
With the recognition comes a cash prize of $6,500 that will be put back into running the clinic.
Education assistant Caitlyn O’Brien said the federation decided to recognize the clinic because of its innovation. It remains the only permanent
sexual health clinic in a high school in Greater Victoria.
“It’s wonderful,” O’Brien said. “We’re all really, really happy about it.”
O’Brien said students are
taking full advantage of the services offered. This year, a doctor is also working at the clinic along with regular staff.
Visit islandsexualhealth.org for more information.
