With September being Sexual Health Awareness Month we have to stop and ask ourselves; just what is the definition of sexual health? Coming up with that definition proves to be a difficult task as each culture, sub-culture, and individual has different standards when it comes to sexual health. It is first off important to understand that sexuality is a natural part of life and it involves a whole lot more than just sexual behavior. It is recognizing and respecting the sexual rights that we all share. It is having the access to sexual health information, education, resources, and most importantly care and treatment when needed.
Trinity Muscatine Public Health provides a number of resources in which your reproductive health can be taken care of in a convenient and confidential way. From our Family Planning Clinic where you can access birth control and contraceptives, to STD/HIV testing and treatment*, Public Health can help you. Trinity Muscatine Public Health is a Title X clinic, which means we are able to provide a wide range of family planning and related preventive health services for low-income and/or uninsured individuals. Title X is a federal grant program that is dedicated solely to proving these services.
One important way in which Trinity Muscatine Public Health gets the conversation started about overall reproductive health is with our partnership with the schools and many other organizations in Muscatine and the surrounding area. We (TMPH) do this by providing education with an emphasis on consent, healthy relationships, abstinence, safe decision making, and just getting people, especially the youth, talking and conscious of the importance of not only their overall health but also their sexual/reproductive health. These conversations are important because sexuality is a natural part of our life! To have these conversations is vital for everyone be able to talk about what is going on in their lives and their bodies. This will ensure that with the help of a medical provider the care and protection is being provided to all people along with proper education and resources.
Your overall health and your reproductive health is a very important task that we tackle everyday here at Trinity Muscatine Public Health. Please be sure to contact us if you have any questions on the services that we can provide and if/how it can be covered by insurance. If we are not able to help you directly in our clinic we will do everything that we can to get you where you need to be. Here at Trinity Muscatine Public Health, you matter and so does your health. Come see us at 1609 Cedar Street or give us a call at (563) 263-0122.
Tyler Baars
Community Health Educator
Trinity Muscatine Public Health
*Trinity Muscatine Public Health cannot provide treatment for HIV. A referral to a specialty clinic is needed.
