New clinic opens

A new sexual health clinic in Camperdown officially opened its doors on Thursday.

The opening of the purpose-built RPA Sexual Health centre coincided with the release of the Sydney Local Health District’s (SLHD) new five-year plan to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in inner Sydney.

The clinic, which has been operating since November, houses around 16 medical staff including four doctors and two sexual health counsellors, and will be one of the first to implement rapid HIV testing with the help of the Kirby Institute. SLHD Chief Executive Dr Teresa Anderson said the clinic would provide people with a friendly and discreet place to check up on their sexual health.

“The new location really gives people a sense of privacy and makes them feel they’re valued. It makes a huge difference, our patients love it,” she said.

SLHD statistics show that 14.5 per cent of Australians with HIV live in inner Sydney, and that inner-city gay men have far higher rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis than the general population.