Space is open to everyone

The Sunshine Coast Youth Clinic celebrated a milestone this week.

On Wednesday, the youth clinic, housed in the Gibsons Health Unit, celebrated its six-month birthday with an open house.Margaret Antolovich, public health manager with Vancouver Coastal Health, said more youth than they expected have been using the clinic since it opened, and with more refining of the program, they hope to attract an even greater number of young people.

Since opening, the youth clinic has seen 150 new clients and on average about 10 young people a week come into the clinic looking for a range of information.

While the clinic's main goal has been reproductive health (information and testing for pregnancy, birth control and testing for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases), Antolovich said the clinic offers much more. Youth are asking about general health information, skin related information, mental health issues and dietary concerns. Young people also know that if they want to talk about issues such as child abuse, they can in a safe and healthy environment, she said. Staff can also refer them to other services, such as counselling, in the community.

Nurse practitioner Kimberly McDougall is also on hand to provide physical exams, prescribe medication and provide insight into sexual assault as she has specialized training in that field.

"We are often the first point of contact for youth. The main aim of the clinic is to be useful and effective in helping young people get the information or other help they need," Antolovich said.

In making an assessment of the clinic after its first six months in operation, she said there are a number of things the clinic can do to make it clear it is a place for all youth, be they female, male or transgender, seeking support and help. Some of the suggestions the clinic is putting into place is to make the overall environment more appealing. She said comfy furniture such as bean bag chairs goes a long way in making the space less formal. Antolovich said it was pointed out that a lot of the reading material was geared to young women, and the clinic is now bringing in magazines that will appeal to everyone. As well, Antolovich said they are doing a youth outreach clinic in Pender Harbour that so far is being well received. For more information about the youth clinic in Gibsons, call 604-886-5600.