Great Experience- STI check

[EarthMama]

I wanted to start this chain to plug the awesome experience I had at Acon yesterday, but also to create a place for others talk about where they’ve had good experiences. Playsafe has such great resources, and when I went to look one up I was definitely overwhelmed by my options, so this may be helpful for others.
Through our testing link above, I discovered that Acon has a sexual health testing clinic on Tuesdays called Check Out- which is specifically for LGBTIQ+ people and sex workers. The service is free with a Medicare card and is in a very convenient central location. The amazing thing about this service is that all the medical records are linked to Family Planning, so they are centralised. Furthermore, the service is peer-led, meaning at your first visit you are met by a peer support worker who takes you through language used and asks what you are comfortable with. The peer worker then consults with the nurse before you do, so they act as an advocate. Everything was explained beautifully and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. After my tests were done, both the nurse and the peer worker offered me a complimentary play kit that included condoms, lube, toy cleaner, gloves and some toy maintenance guides.
The whole experience was ultra sex positive and information rich. It was a truly great experience and makes me so excited for the future of sex being seen as playful, joyful and well informed.

Acon is also plugging a new service called Trans Test, which is a peer led HIV and STI clinic specifically for trans and gender diverse people (transtest.org.au)

[Aunt_Flo]

What an awesome service! I had no idea that ACON offered testing!

[Aunt_Flo]

What an awesome service! I had no idea that ACON offered testing!

[EarthMama]

Yes they do @aunt_flo !! How great is that!? I have been thinking a lot about how testing clinics will be affected during COVID…

[stephaniaaaah]

so great to hear you had a good experience @earthmama

I understand that sexual health testing is only being offered to people who have symptoms or are from higher risk groups so if you don’t have symptoms you shouldn’t go to your clinic and order an online test instead.

@nurse_nettie will be able to answer this for sure though!

[Nurse_Nettie]

@earthmama @aunt_flo @stephaniaaaah, a lot of sexual health services are changing due to the impact of COVID 19. Unfortunately Transtest which is a partnership with ACON and Kirkton Road Centre is closed indefinitely. The same with Check Out service. Currently the best way to find out what services for HIV & STI testing are near you, is to call NSW Sexual Health Infolink on 1800 451 624 and talk with a sexual health nurse (weekdays 9am – 5.30pm). It’s all private & confidential. They will give a range of options depending on what your needs are.

[curiousss]

I am wondering how testing clinics will be affected during COVID-19 too!

That’s good to know that you can call sexual health infolink for any questions.

I wonder if people will start to get behind in their normal testing schedules during this time… but then I suppose a lot do people will be having a lot less sex wit multiple partners too.

@stephaniaaaah I feel like i’m behind on the times, i didn’t realise
there was online testing options!?

[EarthMama]

Oooh I’m interested to hear about these online testing options too @curiousss! Who knew!
It is so devastating to hear about the indefinite close of Transtest and Check Out @nurse_nettie. Not only because they offer an excellent sexual health service, but because they create such a safe and inclusive space. Fingers crossed they are able to start up again once all this comes to a conclusion.

[stephaniaaaah]

@earthmama @curiousss The NSW Sexual Health Info Link has all the options for online testing here!

[EarthMama]

@stephaniaaaah amazing!! Thank you!

[sextronaut]

What an amazing experience, @earthmama! I always love reading good reviews, I feel like the internet is mostly just full of negative reviews so it’s SO helpful to read something positive like yours. Thanks for sharing!

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