5 February 2016
For immediate release
Canada – The week of February 8th to 12th is national Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week (SRH Week). This year’s theme is “What’s Your Relationship Status?” in recognition of the important relationship(s) between health care patients/clients and health care providers.
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Action Canada), in partnership with the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), is leading the national campaign and has spent the last year meeting with community advocates and health care providers across the country to address the barriers to access and how health care providers (like doctors, nurses, and clinicians) and health care patients/clients can work together to break these down.
“We heard from a lot of different people and communities across Canada. Everyone had positive and negative experiences to share with tips and solutions to overcome barriers,” said Sandeep Prasad, executive director of Action Canada. Adding that, “If we are serious about health, we need to recognize how intersecting it is with people’s identities, communities and situations. Health care providers and health care clients need to work together.”
“Sex is all around us and yet many of us still have a great deal of difficulty talking about it. The great thing about SRH Week is that it gets people talking about sexual and reproductive health services in a way that breaks down barriers and will hopefully increase use of services,” said Ian Culbert, Executive Director of CPHA.
This year’s awareness week will include events across the country hosted by community advocates and health care providers, including social media contests, free walk-in sexual health clinics, workshops, and panel discussions. Action Canada is also adding new content to the campaign website www.srhweek.ca that includes information for health care providers and health care clients on how to build healthy relationships and give and receive the best care.
“The website includes information from buy tadalafil online the consultations we held with community advocates and health care providers across the country as well as content from our partners themselves that address the issues they face and what health care providers, like doctors, nurses and their staff, can do to avoid negative experiences. This is especially important when negative experiences can lead to patients or clients not returning or unable to seek the care they need,” said Prasad.
Without understanding the many barriers to health – stigma, economic, language (including word choices), racism and access, among many others – it is impossible for health care providers to provide comprehensive care to their patients/clients.
Positive relationships between clients and providers foster better health outcomes and access to services. It is important to work together toward healthy bodies, healthy communities and healthy partnerships.
To learn more about Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week and the important relationship between health care providers and health care clients, visit www.srhweek.ca
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Ani Colekessian
ani@www.actioncanadashr.org
+1 613 241 4474 x7
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
- For more information about the campaign and related events visit srhweek.ca
- Action Canada Executive Director Sandeep Prasad is available for interview.