"I knew right away this place was different” 

Image caption: 

Joelene Spencer

Joelene Spencer wasn’t sure what she would find when she arrived at the Women’s Wellness & Sexual Health Services clinic in Charlottetown. A walk-in clinic doctor had prescribed Nexplanon, a new type of birth control which is implanted in the upper arm. The Women’s Wellness Program clinic was the only spot on the Island that could perform the procedure.

“I had a lot of questions,” said Spencer, “Was this the right choice for me? Would it hurt? I was a little scared, to be honest.”

Spencer found the clinic on the third floor of The Mount in Charlottetown. She found the front entrance plastered with LGBTQ+ flags and signs indicating this was an inclusive and welcoming space.

“I knew right away this place was different,” she said. “The clinic was busy, but everyone was so positive and friendly. At the top of the intake form, I was asked for my pronouns. They went the extra mile to be progressive and ensure anyone in the LGBTQ+ community would feel safe and included here, too.”

Kelsey Larter says Spencer’s experience is not an accident. She’s a nurse practitioner at the clinic and has been here since it opened in 2017. 

“We knew we had one shot to do this right,” she said. “It’s called ‘The Women’s Wellness Program & Sexual Health Services’, but it is really for all genders. The services we offer are for everyone. Before opening, we collaborated with PEERS Aliance, and they were so helpful. What we learned affected everything from the language we use on our posters and printed material to the way we interact with everyone who walks through the door.” 

The Women’s Wellness Program & Sexual Health Services provides reproductive and sexual health care at clinics in Charlottetown and Summerside, offering sexual health education and counselling, sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment, birth control counselling and prescriptions, PrEP and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), pregnancy counselling (including testing and support), abortion services (for both medical abortion and surgical abortion), and post abortion care. 

“We serve people without a family doctor, or people who don’t feel comfortable speaking to their own family doctor about these services for whatever reason,” said Janice Skeffington, manager of Women's Wellness Program & Sexual Health Services and acting manager of the Obs/Gyne Clinic at The Mount. “We also see an increasing number of people for fertility assessment, as new funding recently became available from the province.” 

Besides fertility assessment, the clinic offers reproductive health services such as prenatal care and menopause counselling and care for individuals without a primary care provider, maternal (perinatal and postpartum) mental health services, pregnancy loss counseling, and pap/pelvic exams. 

A friendly staff member at the Charlottetown clinic led Spencer to an exam room, where she met the doctor.  

“I must have asked a million questions,” said Spencer, thinking back. “But she was amazing. She answered all my questions and then some. That’s just not been my experience with healthcare in the past. She made me feel like she had all the time in the world, and all of my questions were valid.” 

“It really cannot be overstressed how important it is we take time to listen,” said Larter. “A lot of people have not always had great experiences seeking reproductive or sexual health care in the past. We see a lot of people who don’t have a family doctor or who just don’t feel comfortable speaking to an unfamiliar doctor at a walk-in clinic about birth control, or because they’re experiencing hot flashes, or any number of things.” 

In the end, Spencer’s Nexplanon insertion was quick and (relatively) painless. She left the clinic feeling better than when she arrived. 

“It sounds funny to say I’ve recommended a health clinic to all my friends, but I’ve kind of gushed about it,” said Spencer with laugh. “But I have! It was a positive experience for something that hasn’t always been positive for me. This just feels like the way sexual and reproductive health should be done.” 

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