Dylan Stoll | Health Editor
Featured Image: There are many sexual health resources available to choose from, at York and beyond. | Courtesy of Pixabay
The sexual activity level of the average university student is of no surprise to anyone, least of all to the many health services provided that are available across York campus.
As such, places like Appletree Medical Centre in York Lanes have a multitude of OHIP covered treatments and counselling available that are sure to address any concerns that you may have in regards to your sexual health. Some of these treatments include, but are not limited to: birth control, counselling, emergency birth control, pap smears, testing for sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing, pregnancy testing and counselling, mental health, wart removal, nutrition, active living, and newborn and child care.
However, Appletree Medical Centre is not the only place to go for sexual health advice; you can also check out the programs made available by York through their Health Education and Promotion team. “Sex on the Couch” and “Healthy Relationships 101” are running this February and are available for booking on York’s Health Education and Promotion website.
If you have any questions as to what each of these programs may entail, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Sex on the Couch is described as centring around a “questions from the hat” format, so as to provide s safe, encouraging environment to voice concerns.
As the website states, “Participants are welcome to come and discuss questions about sexual health, sexuality, relationships, birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and other unknowns!”
As for the workshop Healthy Relationships 101, participants can expect “to learn more on what makes a relationship healthy including topics such as: communicating needs and building mutual respect, opening dialog for pleasure and building trust and honesty.”
Another great place to get the sexual advice that you’re looking for, especially if you want to avoid being hassled, is the Hassle Free Clinic, located on the second floor of 66 Gerrard Street East in downtown Toronto. They have a strict confidentiality policy, and a health care philosophy that stretches back to the 70’s when they provided a “no questions asked” approach to providing health care to those in need.
As they state on their website, “The Hassle Free Clinic has played an important front-line role in identifying and serving the sexual health needs of a large and diverse at-risk population,” and “after three decades of providing medical care to high-risk patients in a non-traditional setting, we are proud to be one of Canada’s largest and most influential sexual health clinics.”
If you have exhausted your options and you still haven’t found the right clinic for you, you can always call the sexual health chatline at sexualhealthontario.ca using both your phone and your computer. Both the online and phone options (1-800-668-2437) are available Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but you can call from your phone on weekends as well from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It should be noted that this service is not intended for crisis situations. In such an event, it is advised that you call the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-866-531-2600.
