Innovative Sexual Health Program Ending Soon
Published on 30 January 2024
The Rural City of Wangaratta in collaboration with the University of Melbourne's Department of Rural Health, Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH), has been participating in a groundbreaking pilot program. This initiative aims to address barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare in rural communities, with the introduction of a vending machine dispensing tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and HIV.
The vending machine provides a completely free and confidential service and is situated in the alcove at the entrance to the Wangaratta Library bathrooms. Wangaratta is the second location in the Northeast to host this innovative program and in early March the machine will be relocated to Mansfield.
The initial idea for the program came from project lead Dr Dave Evans, CERSH senior health promotion manager (Hume), who had worked in the United Kingdom and witnessed the machines operating successfully there. Dr Evans would like to see the Wangaratta community embrace this unique opportunity: “It would be good to see if we can get a late push to ensure we have reached everyone in the community that wants a free test. Assessing community acceptability is key to determining if this type of solution will work for communities in the future.”, he said.
The key objective of this pilot program is to overcome common challenges faced by rural communities, such as transportation constraints, cost implications, lengthy wait times, and confidentiality concerns. “By prioritising privacy, convenience, and accessibility, the testing machine provides a discreet avenue for community members to access essential sexual health services”, Dr Dave Evans
"This initiative demonstrates our dedication to the well-being of our community members, especially young people and those facing obstacles in accessing sexual health services" said Ashlee Fitzpatrick, Rural City of Wangaratta Councillor.
The Rural City of Wangaratta encourages residents to take advantage of this convenient and confidential service while the vending machine is still available. The success of this program could pave the way for similar initiatives to be implemented across regional Victoria, contributing to an overall improvement in sexual and reproductive healthcare accessibility in rural areas.