Can you demonstrate awareness of the impact of policies and practices on access to STBBI prevention services?

• A Core Competency in the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBIs)

Consider...
Bruce is the manager of an STI prevention program in a small city. It is the only program of its kind in the community, and Bruce and his staff do their best to be as inclusive as possible. However, they find that most of their clientele are young, white and heterosexual, even though STI statistics for the community show rising levels of infection in older age groups, as well as immigrants from African and Caribbean countries. Bruce begins to wonder whether their program's policies and/or practices are possibly impeding access for potentially vulnerable groups in the community.

Do you work in the area of sexual health or STBBI advocacy, prevention and support? Can you demonstrate awareness of the impact of policies and practices on access to STBBI prevention services?

Use the questions below to help you self-assess your knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices related to the impact of policies and practices on access to STBBI prevention. Remember that depending on your role, you may require different levels of proficiency for the various core competencies and it is possible that some of the competencies are not relevant to your work.

1. Does your organization recognize how institutional racism, sexism, ageism, etc. can affect clients, and are there policies in place to address these issues?    
2. How can organizational policies support or create barriers for clients with varying sexual expressions, sexual orientations, and/or gender identifications?
3. Why is it important to have organizational policies and standard practices related to cultural competence rather than simply relying on individual staff approaches?
4. Are you aware of different processes that can help support and encourage the participation of representatives from different client groups in program planning and evaluation? Why is it important to ensure their full participation?
5. How can a health equity impact assessment tool be used to address health inequities among your varying client groups, and in turn reduce barriers to programs and services?

Suggested resources:

• Addressing the Dimensions of Sexual Health: A Review of Evaluated Sexual Health Promotion Interventions, by. B. Condran, National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases, 2014
• Outreach Planning Guide for Infectious Disease Practitioners who Work with Vulnerable Populations, National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases, 2012
• A Cultural Competence Guide for Primary Health Care Professionals in Nova Scotia (Section III: Tools for Management & Administrative Staff in Primary Health Care Settings), Nova Scotia Department of Health, 2005
• Sexually Transmitted Infections and Other Blood-Borne Infections, including HIV, (STBBI) Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) Tool, CPHA, 2014

This is one of a series of cases on the core competencies for STBBI prevention. View all 26 cases on the core competencies for STBBI prevention.

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