Anglesea Medical will be providing important sexual health services to residents in the Surf Coast region thanks to a new partnership with the Victorian Sexual Health Network, led by Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC, part of Alfred Health).
Anglesea Medical will commence as the new GP partner and provide testing and management of STIs (Sexually Transmissible Infections) from Tuesday, 13 June 2023.
Dr Lucy Dobson, a general practitioner at Anglesea Medical, said STIs are very treatable and preventable.
“Anglesea Medical aims to provide an inclusive and confidential environment where we can test, detect and treat STIs for people of the Surf Coast and surrounding shires,” Dr Dobson said.
“Detection and treatment of STIs is not just helping the individual but multiple people. We are aiming to provide asymptomatic testing, support people requiring treatment and aid contact tracing.”
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) Chief Executive Officer, Rowena Clift, said the Victorian Sexual Health Network has reached out to WVPHN over the last few years to support the recruitment of GP clinics in the region.
“Western Victoria PHN is delighted with the outcome and congratulate Anglesea Medical on securing this important partnership to deliver sexual health services in the region,” Ms Clift said.
In 2021 there were 86,916 diagnoses of chlamydia, 26,577 of gonorrhoea and 5,570 of infectious syphilis in Australia.
MSHC has introduced innovations in STI testing and service delivery to respond to increasing STI rates and service demand. MSHC has now established seven general practice sexual health clinics, to further increase primary care capacity for STI testing and treatment:
Kardinia Health in Belmont is another GP partner delivering sexual health services in the western Victoria region.
“By partnering with Melbourne Sexual Health Centre we have been able to provide additional detailed training to our GP and nursing team, and through aligning with their communications we have seen an increase in patient numbers,” said Kardinia Health CEO, Michelle Heagney.
For more information, please visit Stay STI Free – Victorian Sexual Health Network
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For further information contact: Helen Kostiuk 0413 754 606