Philly has a brand new jawn — a Well being Jawn.
That’s what they’re calling a merchandising machine that distributes condoms and different reproductive well being merchandise at no cost on the Neighborhood School of Philadelphia.
Kelly Lake is the supervisor of the CCP’s Gender and Sexuality Useful resource Middle. Because the Well being Jawn launched final month, she has seen how steadily college students use the machine.
“We’ve needed to maintain restocking it no less than as soon as per week,” she stated, “so I’m blown away and so pleased that it’s getting used and actually utilized in a approach that it was designed for use. I simply suppose it’s so essential the work that we do is serving all college students, however actually serving to to remove boundaries.”
The Well being Jawn is only one piece of a partnership between the metropolis’s Division of Public Well being, by means of its Take Management Philly program, and CCP that was the topic of an on-campus occasion Thursday. The objective is to distribute 1.2 million condoms on the Neighborhood School of Philadelphia.
Charles Gregory Postell, communications coordinator on the DPH, stated the objective is a 20% improve from the earlier yr. A number of the provide will go to the CCP’s Well being Jawn. The machine can even distribute free COVID exams.
Take Management Philly’s mission is to offer 13- to 19-year-olds with safety and intercourse training. That is essential as a result of Philly teenagers expertise greater STI charges than teenagers in different elements of the nation. Whereas lots of its scholar physique are of their 20s, Postell believes working with CCP will ultimately affect sexually lively individuals beneath 18.
“The objective isn’t solely simply to present out condoms, however to guard as many individuals as we are able to,” stated Postell. “And so, you won’t use condoms your self — as a result of we get lots of people (saying), ‘I’m abstinent,’ however you’ve got associates, cousins, brothers, sisters, no matter. Simply get them to them additionally. And in order that’s the factor. How many individuals can we contact, shield and save?”
One of many points the partnership between CCP and Take Management Philly addresses is the cost-based barrier to protected intercourse.
“Protected intercourse is essential, and there shouldn’t be that monetary barrier to having the ability to have protected intercourse,” stated Lake, the supervisor of the CCP useful resource heart. “So us having the ability to remove that monetary barrier is large. [Students] can come and so they can get nevertheless many they want, no matter they want, with out having to go to CVS or one other retailer and spending cash to take action.”
Take Management Philly and the Gender and Sexuality Useful resource Middle arrange tables within the cafeteria close to the Well being Jawn to tell college students in regards to the partnership. Madelin Myers and Allison Moore sat on the Useful resource Middle desk and talked to college students in regards to the heart’s companies and the collaboration between the faculty and Take Management Philly.
Though there weren’t too many discussions about condoms, Myers and Moore have been pleased to see college students stroll away with info on Take Management Philly, in addition to COVID exams and posters highlighting civil rights.
“On the Gender Sexuality Useful resource Middle, we simply need to make condoms extra accessible,” Myers stated. “That’s why that is such a tremendous partnership with Take Management Philly, and we’re actually excited to only be capable of make sexual well being extra accessible to all the scholars at CCP.”
Moore added that she’s pleased to “break down stigmatization surrounding condom use and [make] it a extra snug subject to speak about.”
Take Management Philly continues to make use of different distribution strategies, equivalent to on-line orders, group outreach occasions and having private and non-private organizations function pick-up facilities. In response to Assistant Program Supervisor Tahira Greene, the hassle to advertise sexual well being and confidence amongst youth “takes a village.”
“Collectively, we’re making a more healthy Philly that may interact safely and confidently in sexual actions,” Greene stated. “A Philly that embraces this can be a Philly that may thrive in each approach.”