Prism Health North Texas has enlisted an 11-member advisory group to help inform clinic expansion efforts and support for underserved communities.
The Sexual Health Advisory Group (SHAG) will meet monthly for the next two years to discuss community members’ needs and experiences with sexual health services, as well as the best strategies for support.
Januari Fox, director of policy, advocacy and community engagement at Prism Health North Texas, said SHAG aims to facilitate conversations about sexual health that can be uncomfortable for patients. Ta.
“What services do we need to provide? What do our physicians need to know? What kind of welcome do we want to receive when we check in at the front desk? Does it work for you? “Taking all of this into consideration helps make Prism Health North Texas a more community-driven organization,” Fox said.
The advisory group and its expansion plans across the nonprofit’s five sexual health services clinics are funded by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant to address the rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Masu. A CDC report tallying the number of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia infections in the United States found that infection rates across all diseases have increased by about 2% over the past five years.
Texas has higher gonorrhea and chlamydia infection rates than the national average and one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country.
Prism Health North Texas will receive $500,000 in 2023 and $200,000 each year through 2028 through this grant.
Prism Health offers ‘comprehensive’ HIV care in south Dallas
In addition to establishing an advisory group, the nonprofit organization is also leveraging funds to cover the cost of sexual health exams for uninsured patients and those who meet other eligibility requirements.
Daniel Rohr, director of program evaluation at Prism Health North Texas He said he is also making investments to make testing available to patients.
Lohr said the nonprofit is training two health care providers on how to provide the tests and is working to set up the infrastructure to provide the service at clinics.
Members of the Sexual Health Advisory Group could help Prism Health North Texas strategize on how to communicate the importance of anoscopy to the community.
“How do we share that information broadly with the community without making it seem offensive or weird or whatever, so that people actually want to call and make an appointment?” Lohr said. spoke. You may not understand it, and you may not understand who needs it. ”
During the first few meetings, SHAG will focus on the basics of sexually transmitted infections and systemic barriers to health care. Javier Enriquez, policy, advocacy and community engagement coordinator for Prism Health North Texas, said the crux of the dialogue begins in 2025.
“We wanted to make sure all SHAG members had the basic information so they could participate with confidence,” Enriquez said.
SHAG members were selected from a pool of 65 applicants and included representatives from marginalized groups. The majority of our members are people of color, and most identify as transgender. Prism Health North Texas also considered representation across Dallas zip codes.
“I think some people of color and transgender people come from backgrounds where they feel like they’re the only ones who can express their identity in these spaces, and that’s something we wanted to avoid. ,” Enriquez said. “We want diverse experiences to be heard, but we also don’t want to tokenize people.”
Any tips? Email Kailey Broussard at kbroussard@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the cooperation of our members. If you found this report valuable, please consider making a tax-deductible gift today. thank you.