March 10, 2020
This is the centennial year for the STI Services program of Alberta Health Services. Members of the STI Services team include: (back row, from left) Resty Ann Clarion, Shirin Ali, Diana McKimmie, Lynn Eagle and Garret Meyer, and (front row, from left) Beverly Zaremba, Shannon Lemire, Jennifer Gratrix, Muna Ali and John Niruban.
Story by Logan Clow
As milestones go, 2020 is a major one for the provincial STI Services program as it marks a century of providing quality sexual healthcare to Albertans.
STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) are some of the most common infections in the world. They include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, genital warts and herpes — which are transmitted between people through unprotected sexual contact (oral, vaginal or anal sex without a condom). STIs can also be passed from mothers to their infants during pregnancy or at birth.
Launched in February 1920, STI Services was originally known as the Department of Social Hygiene, after Alberta became the first province to enact the Venereal Disease Act.
Today, STI Services receives all notifiable STI cases in Alberta and is responsible for ensuring that individuals and their sexual partners receive appropriate treatment and follow-up. In 2019, this involved more than 30,000 investigations.
“After we’re notified, our job is to follow up with the individual to ensure they’re receiving appropriate care, and to inform their partners that they may have been exposed to an STI or HIV,” says Jennifer Gratrix, Interim Director, STI Services.
“Partner notification may involve using one of our 36 Partner Notification Nurses (PNN) who are located across the province. PNNs are public health nurses specially trained to test for and treat STIs.”
STI Services also provides clinical and outreach services with walk-in STI clinics in Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Calgary. Services are free and confidential.
“The clinics are staffed by registered nurses who are specially trained to provide STI care, with the support of clinic physicians,” says Diana McKimmie, Associate Manager, Fort McMurray STI Clinic.
“Nursing staff provide assessments, testing, diagnosis, treatment and counselling. Microscopy can be completed by our nurses in our onsite lab, which means a client can be assessed, diagnosed and treated all in one visit.”
Testing is available across the province at one of the three specialty clinics, or through a local healthcare provider or sexual health clinic. Testing involves a urine sample, blood tests, physical examination and/or swabs.
“Many STIs do not have symptoms, so getting tested is the only way for individuals to know for sure if they have an STI. If left untreated, there may be long-term health effects,” says McKimmie.
Over the past year, STI Services has been diligently working to respond to the provincial syphilis outbreak declared in 2019, which has seen a significant number of infants born with congenital syphilis.
“STI Services continues to monitor provincial STI cases for outbreak detection, supports development of STI clinical policies, guidelines and resources, and works collaboratively with community partners and healthcare providers to build awareness and increase education to promote testing,” says Gratrix.
“We continue to work closely with our AHS colleagues and other healthcare partners to ensure we have a broad range of access points for Albertans to become informed and get tested.”
STI Services continues to work to address the stigma and discrimination associated with STIs and HIV.
“We work really hard to use sex positive messaging, and inclusive language to normalize STI testing and partner notification,” adds Gratrix.
“Anybody can get an STI — the infections do not discriminate or target a specific demographic.”
STI Services is supported by a multidisciplinary team, consisting of administrative, nursing, physician, outreach and epidemiologist staff.
For more information about STI Services and testing across the province, visit AHS.
