As Alberta faces rising rates of sexually transmitted infections, several Calgary organizations are working to increase HIV and STI testing — outside of the medical system — for groups that can be higher risk.
With the help of nurses from Alberta Health Services’ Safeworks program, several groups hold community-based testing clinics for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Every Thursday night, the Calgary Sexual Health Centre hosts an STI testing clinic that includes a rapid HIV test.
“The existing STI testing services in Calgary … they had long wait-times and those were becoming a barrier for particularly this