Sexual Health Clinic

Thanksgiving schedule changes:  The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics will be closed.

Attention: The Sexual Health Clinic is currently open by appointment!

Want Testing NOW, without an appointment?

We are offering appointments to residents of Ottawa for the following: 

  • HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (HIV PEP)
  • Emergency Contraception (Ella/Plan B/IUD)
  • Contraception, including intrauterine devices (IUDs) and low-cost options (for those who qualify)
  • Persons diagnosed with an STBBI, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis.
  • Sexual partners of persons diagnosed with an STBBI (sexual transmitted bloodborne infection) including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and/or Mpox
  • STBBI (sexual transmitted bloodborne infection) testing for members of the following equity-denied groups:
    • Youth 29 years of age and younger
    • Indigenous communities
    • African, Caribbean, and Black communities
    • 2SLGBTQ+, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and other men who have sex with men.
    • Persons engaging in sex work
    • People who use drugs by injection, or inhale or smoke crack or crystal meth, or who have concerns with sharing drug equipment

For those who qualify, please call the Sexual Health Clinic at (613) 234-4641 Monday to Friday between the hours of 9 am to noon and 1 to 3:30 pm. For any other services, please contact your primary health care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner) or visit a general community walk-in clinic or access testing through Getakit.ca.

For general sexual health information, please contact the Ontario Sexual Health Infoline by phone: 1-800-668-2437 or by e-chat.

To help with registration bring your valid Ontario Health Card or photo ID showing an Ontario address. You do not need a referral or OHIP coverage to visit our clinic. (What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card or photo ID?)

Equity Denied Groups: 

Definition:  People who face barriers to access and opportunities due to systemic discrimination.

Source: Let's Talk Language of Health Equity (PDF), National Collaborative Centre for Determinants of Health, 2023 

GetaKit.ca - Free STI Testing Program

For Ottawa residents, free STI testing services without an appointment are available through GetaKit.ca. Tests can be ordered 24/7. Requisitions for testing are sent through the mail or made available online and tests are completed at a local lab using a health card (e.g., OHIP, UHIP, IFH, NHIB, private or military coverage). For more information – or to order your STI tests online, visit GetaKit.ca.  
We offer
  • Free testing and treatment for STBBIs
  • Confidential or anonymous HIV testing
  • Emergency contraception (ECP)
    • Contraception for those 29 years and younger
  • Affordable contraception (for those who qualify)
  • IUD/IUS and Nexplanon insertion 
  • Pregnancy testing & information about options
  • Hepatitis A and B immunization (for those who qualify)
  • Vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) (for those who qualify)
  • Imvamune® mpox vaccine (for those who qualify)                        
  • Free condoms - www.sexitsmart.ca
We DO NOT assess or treat the following:
  • Blood work for herpes or pregnancy
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Scabies, crabs or lice
  • Sexual dysfunction (erection and arousal difficulties, timing of ejaculation, low libido)
  • Fertility, miscarriage or menopause

In the above cases you should NOT come to the Sexual Health Clinic; instead, please see your Family Physician or a Walk-In Clinic.  In the case of an Emergency, please go directly to the nearest Hospital.

** Please note: Your family physician (GP), nurse practitioner (NP), walk-in medical clinic and University or College Health Services can provide STBBI (sexually transmitted blood borne infection) testing, Pap tests and birth control. The Sexual Health Clinic does not provide faster results for STBBI testing than your GP, NP or other clinics.

What to expect at the Sexual Health Clinic

Once you have booked your appointment, you will receive an appointment reminder by email or text. Before you arrive, please complete the registration form that will be found in your email or text reminder. We ask that you arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time to help keep the clinic on time.

How to prepare for your visit
When you arrive:

You will be provided with a medical mask to wear during your visit. The receptionist will verify that you have completed your electronic registration form which includes your contact information and health related questions. This information will be used to start a medical record for you or retrieve your existing file.  To help with registration bring your valid Ontario Health Card or photo ID showing an Ontario address. (What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card or photo ID?)

Each client receives a number, which will be used to identify you during your visit.

Please note that clients may not always be seen in numerical order. Each person is here for a different reason. We have various health care practitioners who perform different roles. You will be seen as close to your appointment time as possible by the next available practitioner who can address the reason for your visit.

An appointment may take up to one hour depending on the services needed. The visit may include an assessment, on-site testing, blood work and treatment. 
The interview
When your number is called you will be seen by a health care practitioner, such as a nurse, doctor or nurse practitioner who will ask you a series of questions, including:
  • the reason for your visit
  • contact information
  • medical and sexual history

The information you share will be used to determine the type of services that may be beneficial to you.

During this time, the health care practitioner may provide you with information about STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood borne infections), safer sex and birth control options. This is also your opportunity to ask any questions you have about sex or sexual health and to voice your concerns.
The assessment:
After your interview, if an exam is required you will see a doctor or nurse practitioner. 

During the exam, the doctor or nurse practitioner may do a number of tests depending on your assessment, whether you have symptoms and your risk for sexually transmitted infections.
Testing:

The clinic can test for several types of STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood borne infections). Most infections have a "window period" before they can be detected. The table below summarizes how we conduct our most common tests, and the window periods associated with each infection. Based on your sexual history, the health care practitioner will determine what type of testing is appropriate at the time of your visit.

Tests conducted at the Sexual Health Clinic

Infection

Testing

Window period

Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea

Urine sample, swab of the cervix, vagina, throat or rectum

Testing can be done at the time of presentation

Syphilis

Blood test

Four to six weeks after a sexual contact

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

Blood test

Six to 12 weeks after potential risk

 

Results:

It can take up to three weeks for results to come back from the lab. If you do not hear from us, test results are NEGATIVE. Please do not call the clinic for results. If you would like to review your results or get a copy, after 3 weeks have passed, please visit us in person during clinic hours and bring photo ID.

If a test is positive (which means your test showed you have an infection) you will be contacted by a Public Health Nurse about treatment and may be asked for information about your sexual partners. This information will be used to contact these partners to ensure that they are tested and treated. All information will be kept confidential. Your name will not be given to these partners.

For more information, or to speak with a Public Health nurse, please contact 613-234-4641 or the Sexual Health Infoline Ontario at 1-800-668-2437.

 
What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card?

You do not need OHIP coverage to visit our clinic.

I don't have any ID:

  • Please call us at 613-234-4641 for more information

My Ontario Health Card has expired:

  • Bring the expired card and the temporary document as proof of your renewal with you 

My Ontario Health Card has expired and I haven't renewed it:

  • We will accept other valid photo ID showing an Ontario address like an Ontario Driver's License or Ontario Photo Card
  • Renew your Ontario Health Card

My ID has been stolen:

  • Please call us at 613-234-4641 for more information
  • To replace stolen ID call ServiceOntario toll-free at 1-800-267-8097

I live in Quebec:

  • Visit CLSC de Gatineau
    • 85, rue Saint-Rédempteur, Gatineau, QC
    • Tel: 819-966-6532

I'm an international student with health coverage through my university/college: 

  • We encourage you to attend the health clinic on campus

I'm in the Armed Forces and do not have provincial health coverage:

  • We encourage you to access services at the Canadian Forces Health Services Centre Ottawa
  • Please call us at 613-234-4641 for more information
  • Services are available at the Canadian Forces Health Services Centre Ottawa at 317 Montreal Rd.

I am a foreign national and have private medical insurance:  

  • We encourage you to access health services by going to a general walk-in clinic.  For more information on what a walk-in clinic provides, please visit the Walk-In Clinics provincial website. 

If you live somewhere other than Ontario or Quebec:

  • Please call us at 613-234-4641 for more information

If you still have questions about which ID is required, call us at 613-234-4641.

IUD and Nexplanon Insertion

To help with registration bring your valid Ontario Health Card or photo ID showing an Ontario address. You do not need a referral or OHIP coverage to visit our clinic. (What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card or photo ID?)
179 Clarence Street, Ottawa. Call 613-234-4641 for information.

Sexual Health Clinic - By Appointment Only

All appointments are available at 179 Clarence Street only. We are offering appointments to residents of Ottawa for the following:

  • HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (HIV PEP)
  • Emergency Contraception (Ella/Plan B/IUD)
  • Contraception, including intrauterine devices (IUDs) and low-cost options
  • Persons diagnosed with an STBBI, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and/or Mpox
  • Sexual partners of persons diagnosed with an STBBI including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and/or Mpox
  • STBBI testing for those who are members of the following groups:
    • Youth 29 years of age and younger
    • Indigenous communities
    • African, Caribbean, and Black communities
    • 2SLGBTQ+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and other men who have sex with men)
    • Persons engaging in sex work
    • People who use drugs

If you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to book an appointment, please call the Sexual Health Clinic at (613) 234-4641 Monday to Friday 9:00 am to noon and 1 to 3:30 pm.

For any other services, or for those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, please contact your primary care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner) or visit a general community walk-in clinic. For general sexual health information, please contact the Ontario Sexual Health Infoline by phone: 1-800-668-2437 or by e-chat.

Sexual Health Clinic Hours by Appointment

  • Monday 8:45 to 11:30 am and 12:45 to 3:30 pm
  • Tuesday 8:45 to 11:30 am and 12:45 to 3:30 pm
  • Wednesday 8:45 to 11:30 am
  • Thursday 12:45 to 3:30 pm
  • Friday 8:45 to 11:30 am

To help with registration bring your valid Ontario Health Card or photo ID showing an Ontario address. You do not need a referral or OHIP coverage to visit a walk-in clinic. You do not need a referral or OHIP coverage to visit our clinic. (What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card or photo ID?)
Gay Men's Sexual Health Clinic - By Appointment Only  

Gay ZONE provides a wide range of programs and services for gay, bi, transmen and other men who have sex with men in the Ottawa area, including:

All appointments are available at 179 Clarence Street only. We are offering appointments to residents of Ottawa for the following:

  • Screening and treatments for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's)
  • HIV testing--rapid and/or anonymous
  • Hepatitis A and B vaccination
  • HPV vaccine (for those who qualify)
  • Imvamune® mpox vaccine (for those who qualify)

To book an appointment, please call the Sexual Health Clinic at (613) 234-4641 Monday to Friday 9 am to noon and 1 to 3:30 pm.

To help with registration bring your valid Ontario Health Card or photo ID showing an Ontario address.  (What if I don't have an Ontario Health Card or photo ID?)

Location: 179 Clarence Street, Ottawa

Hours: Thursday 4 to 6 pm
an xMpox vaccine eligibility: Please review the eligibility criteria for the Imvamune® vaccine before booking an appointment, visiting our clinic or calling Ottawa Public Health.

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