Those red scarves you see tied to posts in your community are put there by the Porcupine Health Unit with a purpose.
They’re the Northern Ontario twist on red ribbons for World AIDS Day, which is on Sunday.
Harm reduction outreach coordinator Amy Haapakoski says self-testing clinics for STDs are always available by appointment. And this Monday, at the PHU head office in Timmins, there is walk-in testing between one and four in the afternoon.
“So we’re testing for HIV,” she explains, “but they can also access other testing for Hep-C, syphilis, gonorrhea, anything kind of like that with our nurses as well.”
Everything is done anonymously and confidentially. Haapakoski says test results can determine treatment options for AIDS-HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
