8 Alberta pharmacies to offer STI testing as part of U of A research study
The University of Alberta is working with local pharmacists to make sexual health testing more accessible.
"APPROACH 2.0" will provide Albertans free and confidential testing for sexually transmitted infections like HIV, Hepatitis C and syphilis.
It's done with a simple blood test, performed at community pharmacies.
The goal is to make testing easier for people who may not know they have an infection or feel comfortable seeking a test in a traditional setting.
“We certainly know through COVID-19, there was reduced access to testing for sexual transmitted and blood-borne infections. So this is just an opportunity to again reach groups that might be at risk and hopefully improve both individual health but also reduce spread in the community,” said Christine Hughes from the university.
"Pharmacists are absolutely removing barriers to health-care access, especially for equity-seeking groups who don’t always feel comfortable accessing traditional health-care spaces that don’t feel safe to them," said Dylan Moulton, a clinical pharmacist and pharmacy manager at Medi-Drugs Millcreek.
Patients will also be educated on how STIs are transmitted.
Seventeen pharmacists in eight pharmacies across the province will participate.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Evacuation orders lifted in Fort McMurray Saturday as rain dampens wildfire activity
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Scottie Scheffler, from the course to jail and back: What to know about his PGA Championship arrest
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship.