Earlier today, the Sexual Health Centre’s 2021 Annual Report was launched by Lord Mayor, Deirdre Forde at City Hall in Cork. Despite the lingering challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic, the centre expanded programmes into local communities to ensure accessible sexual health services were available to all.
In partnership with Cork Local and Southern Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Forces, the centre launched DASH (Drugs, Alcohol and Sexual Health). The mobile unit delivers rapid HIV testing, condom provision, drug and alcohol assessments and support within local communities. This service met with a total of 1,224 individuals since its launch in July 2021.
In addition, dispensers for period products are now available to Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) youth organisations. The dispensers aim to tackle period poverty while ensuring that everyone gets factual and informative guidance surrounding menstural health. The sides of the units are labelled allowing easy access to information through QR codes, along with signposting to a dedicated youth Instagram page ‘SHC_HUB’, where they will find an agony aunt called ‘The SHIFT Expert’ to answer any questions.
Ciarán Lynch, Chairperson of the Sexual Health Centre, highlighted the efforts made to offer such attentive services in 2021:
“Our outreach services and links with other community organisations have been crucial to providing sexual health in local towns and communities across Cork, during a continually challenging time for many.”
“By bringing sexual health to people where they live through DASH, and demonstrating a thoughtful and progressive approach to youth sexual health needs with the offering of period product dispensers, we have been able to make sexual health information more equitable and accessible than ever before”
Demand for condoms also increased last year, with the centre’s free nationwide condom postal service distributing a total of 12,660 condoms in 2021. This service allows individuals to order condoms for delivery to their home, in discreet packaging at no cost. The service was particularly popular in 2021 with the reduction in Covid 19 restrictions allowing a return to socialising, and the increased sexual activity seen as result. Throughout 2021, the Centre also continued to provide both virtual and in person crisis pregnancy and HIV counselling, online information campaigns; and sexual health workshops for young people, LGBTI+ people, members of marginalised communities, professionals, and the wider community.
Executive Director, Martin Davoren, noted the commitment of the Sexual Health Centre’s team in responding to clients’ needs:
“The 2021 annual report represents a continued evolution and originality in our approach to this work. By partnering with other organisations, bringing sexual health into new spaces and offering services through new modalities, we have been able to make sexual health a more accessible part of people’s everyday lives.”
