SPFPP Episode 155: Vivent Intervention & the Importance of Inclusion

I mentioned having chlamydia and reinfecting myself. Yup, Mr. HOnMyChest HIMSELF not only has an STI, but then contracted another STI, AND THEN reinfected himself. What the Eff right? I’m at a good place to chat about this and have been for a long time now surprisingly, consider I am going to be on that annual report of chlamydia cases TWICE and it could’ve all been prevented had I just gone to a testing facility that was comfortable discussing sexual health.

But what would’ve happened had I been diagnosed with something else? What if I had tested positive for HIV? That question gets answered in this podcast episode as well. But here you get a feel for the difference between an organization that specializes in treating sexual health related issues versus a general medical practitioner.

SPFPP intervenes at the intersection of sexual health and mental health. The pillars of stigma reside here and one pillar we will address is the point of diagnosis by simply uplifting organizations that prioritize the person and their sexual health with consideration of their mental health.

I’ve been tested at this non profit organization prior to its name change and I hope that this and upcoming episodes will encourage people to seek out these kinds of places because they are doing it RIGHT ya’ll.

The Director of Prevention Services, Jon Martin, sits down with me masked up and 6 feet apart in order to discuss the importance of diversity on staff when providing the customer service experience especially in regards to something as intimate as sexual health.

Where this ties into SPFPP is that I mentioned how when people who had suicide ideation shared their struggles with me, I couldn’t empathize. Since starting the podcast, people have reached out and said that finding someone who relates to them in an episode has been super healing for them.

Vivent Health is formally St. Louis Effort for AIDS and they are part of a much larger national network, and you can find them at www.viventhealth.org.