How Canada Wins: Breaking the stigma of sexual health

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Editor’s note: This is Part 4 in our contribution to Postmedia’s national series “How Canada Wins.” Over the next five weeks we’ll chronicle our community’s place in the country, the promise of greater prosperity, and the blueprint to get there. See the series intro here.

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Saskatoon Sexual Health recently moved from their old location and has been looking for ways to break the stigma of sexual health in Saskatchewan.

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Dr. Candice Klein has been the executive director since June 2024, and said Saskatoon Sexual Health is a sexual and reproductive health clinic that also works doing advocacy and education.

“We do a whole host of services,” Klein said.

She said they do things from cervical cancer screenings to testing for STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections); preventative clinics for things like PrEP, medical abortions with the pill, and birth control. Klein said they also offer phlebotomies, which involves testing blood and is rare for clinics.

“We also do training as well, so we have future clinicians come in and work with us.”

Saskatchewan has banned sexual health education from third party groups in classrooms, so Saskatoon Sexual Health has shifted to teaching teachers.

Klein said one of the biggest issues they face is patients not doing follow-ups, but they do what they can to keep everything in-house, to help prevent that problem.

She said 73 per cent of patients they see are youth.

“They may not know how to navigate the system or have time, and so they can come here and get the testing, get the treatment, get everything done as sort of a one-stop shop.”

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She said the challenges their organization faces can feel immense at times, but they have talented staff that can pivot.

“(We) come from a person-centred, community-centred approach,” she said. “It’s about what do our community members look like, what do they need, what are the challenges happening for them, and tailoring our education to assist them.”

Saskatoon Sexual Health operates as a non-profit, and Klein said finances can be strained due to their reliance on grants. She said they could definitely use additional staff to take on some of these increasing challenges.

The quotas, guidelines and mandates for these grants can be a challenge, due to the difference in needs seen on the ground, she said.

Klein said the increased need seen in the community stems from homelessness, people with increasing mental-health conditions, and people facing crises.

“We’re experiencing this massive surge in cost of living, and it really is affecting people.”

She said their demographic ranges from 15 to 29 years old, many of them middle to lower-middle class. Some are university students.

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“It’s not the same as it was five years ago, 10 years ago. These kids are paying, they can’t afford rent anymore, lots of them are ending up on the streets.”

There are missing supports for that demographic, Klein said, adding that they aren’t marginalized enough to access some services, but don’t have enough money to get what they need.

“We’re filling a very niche demographic here that other places don’t necessarily think about, but we see all of those same issues affecting those kids as well.”

She pointed to the SHOUT project, a STBBI prevention program, saying they see increased enrolment in that program every year.

Klein said they are at a point where they can’t accept everyone who wants to enrol, adding that the walk-in clinic fills up five minutes after starting.

She also spoke about how they almost lost vital funding this year that could have resulted in decommissioning the clinic.

“One of our contracts was ending and was not being renewed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.”

Klein said they did everything in their power to prevent that.

“The issue when we’re dealing with healthcare is that it’s a provincial responsibility. When it comes to actual, clinical funding there are legalities around that.”

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She said this prevents them from getting a federal grant to cover the cost of the clinic.

Klein said she managed to speak with someone from SHA, and they are luckily getting bridge funding.

“I think maybe they didn’t understand the scope of the clinic and what exactly we were addressing,” Klein said. “When I was able to communicate with them and get that across, now we’re looking at a long-term funding, sustainable package.”

Saskatoon Sexual Health moved into a new location at 39 23 St. East, No. 301A, over a month ago. Klein said that move stemmed from rent increasing in the range of $20,000 at the old space.

“This place still costs more, unfortunately, and we have definitely lost space.”

She said she was lucky to find the place, regardless, noting rent right now is quite high across the city.

Saskatchewan is currently in a syphilis epidemic, Klein said, noting their services are needed more now than ever.

“It’s important work in a province where we’ve had a 1,400 per cent increase in syphilis rates over three years.”

Saskatoon Sexual Health has some stigma attached to it, Klein said, noting it was important to address.

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“Our STBBI rates are out of control, and part of that is a stigma to going to a health clinic and getting tested.”

She said STBBI’s are normal and expected results from engaging in sexual activity.

“Every one of us is here because of sex.”

She said PrEP, a medication that lowers the risk of HIV, is free in Saskatchewan. Klein said it’s important to build awareness that a drug like that even exists, and finding a way to create easier access, especially in some of the province’s northern reaches.

Saskatchewan has a small population compared to its geography, Klein said, but often people see that as a negative when it comes to building awareness.

“I think if we change our way of thinking about that, and looking at that as an opportunity … there are only one million people in this province, so what are some ways we can individually reach out to those individuals?”

She said it would require some thinking outside the box, and more sexual health clinics are needed across Saskatchewan.

While these clinics require money, Klein said there also needs to be some community work.

“You have to get community leaders, people who are well respected, and people who have real impact, on board. If you can get them on board, it’s so much easier to transmit those ideas to the rest of the individuals in that community.”

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She gave an example of getting wealthy farmers in rural parts of the province on board.

“How do you get a 65 year old man who has millions of dollars thinking about sexual health?

“That’s how you get change on the ground. People you wouldn’t even think of necessarily including in this conversation actually really do need to be included in these conversations.”

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