COUNTY – A lack of sexual health services in rural areas affects confidentiality and can be extra challenging for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) youth, says a coordinator of the Youth Project.
“I think homophobia and transphobia are huge barriers for our youth in general – urban or rural – so that kind of influences how they get the information that’s relevant to them and if they get the information that’s relevant to them,” says Sheena Jamieson, support services coordinator of the Youth Project.
The non-profit, based in Halifax, provides province-wide services, including education, support, resources and social services, for youth 25 and under, in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity.
“When you get taught sexual health information, it’s not always in a way that’s either relevant to them or presented in a way that’s relevant to them,” says Ms Jamieson.
In smaller communities, it can be more challenging for youth to reach out, she explains.
“That idea of confidentiality is sort of a challenge when you have that added complexity of a small town,” she says.
“There’s that idea that everybody knows everybody.”
The Youth Project provides resources and information and professional development sessions. Ms Jamieson also does a lot of one-on-one discussions with youth around the province.
“A lot of their questions are around ‘How can I be safe? What do I need?’ And I can direct them to local spaces,” she says.
One of those local spaces could be the Lunenburg County Sexual Health Centre, which is funded through the Nova Scotia Association for Sexual Health. There are a total of seven centres across the province.
“In a lot of different rural areas, just access to primary health care is an issue. There are people without family doctors or nurse practitioners and, of course, that is a huge issue because … primary health care is kind of the gateway through which you get pap tests, STI testing, prescription contraception like birth control pills,” says Julie Veinot, executive director of the Lunenburg County Sexual Health Centre.
The centre offers educational resources, free condoms, lube and pregnancy tests, and is confidential. When it comes to services such as abortions, “you do have to jump through the hoops to get the referral to someone whose willing to provide them,” she says, noting that it’s quite a bit easier to access abortion services through Halifax.
The Halifax centre offers clinical services, including pap tests, STI testing, birth control prescriptions and anonymous HIV testing.
“Which, unfortunately, we don’t have funding for on the South Shore,” says Ms Veinot, adding that transportation can be a major barrier for those seeking services.
“Not everyone can get a drive to Halifax or you lose confidentiality too when you have to make those further trips afield, because, of course, how do you tell your family?” she says.