Sexual health services in urban, suburban, and rural outpatient mental healthcare settings in New York: findings from a survey of practices and gaps
Karen McKinnon
A B * , Fatima Jaafar B C , Jean-Marie Alves-Bradford A , Taylor Weinstein B , Alma Zurita McKinnon B , Elizabeth Hughes D , Daria Boccher-Lattimore A B E and Francine Cournos A B C
A Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 112, New York, NY 10032, USA.
B Northeast/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center, Columbia University, 601 West 168 Street, Apartment 46, New York, NY 10032, USA.
C Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
D Edinburgh Napier University, School of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh, Scotland EH11 4BN, UK.
E Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Sexual Health 20(4) 360-362 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH22199
Submitted: 20 December 2022 Accepted: 19 April 2023 Published: 9 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
We surveyed all licensed outpatient mental health programs in New York to examine sexual health services and training needs of providers. Gaps were found in processes for assessing whether patients were sexually active, engaging in sexual risk behaviours, and in need of HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis. Significant differences between urban, suburban, and rural settings statewide were found in how the following sexual health services were delivered: education; on-site sexually transmitted infection screenings; and condom distribution and barriers to distribution. Staff training in sexual health services delivery is critically needed for optimal sexual health and recovery of patients in community mental healthcare.
Keywords: capacity building, condoms, education, health promotion, health services, HIV/AIDS, psychiatric, screening.
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