"On Your Feet, On Your Back" Development of an Allied Health Outreach Service for Sex Workers

Abstract

The Inner South Community Health Service is a multi-sited community health agency situated in inner Melbourne. As part of its commitment to community development, in january 2000 it extended its role to offer a health and education program to the sex industry. In keeping with this philosophy, in October 2001 a pilot project "On Your Feet, On Your Back" was initiated. This project involved allied health workers providing assertive outreach to sex workers on the streets and at a drop-in clinic. This paper discusses the challenges of taking allied health workers out of their traditional clinical setting and placing them in the workplace environment of sex workers in order to provide a meaningful service to this client group. A case presentation will illustrate the importance of utilising a variety of innovative strategies in order to achieve a positive outcome for both the allied health staff and the sex workers. As a conclusion, this study will demonstrate the importance of the availability of adequate support and resourcing at all levels of an organization, and how this enables successful innovation in the provision of primary health services.