Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is excited to announce the winners of the 2023 The Helen & Fred Bentley Awards for Excellence of Achievement. This year we are recognizing the work of:
- Halifax Sexual Health Centre
- Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre
- Planned Parenthood Ottawa
This year’s recipients continue in the great tradition of previous winners, in working to ensure that sexual and reproductive health services are available to all. We are thankful to have these organizations as part of our Associates Network.
Here’s more about this year’s winning programs, and the innovative and creative ways they are working to connect with people in their communities:
- Halifax Sexual Health Centre: The Compassionate Birth Control program provides contraceptive methods (including pills, patches, rings, injections, emergency contraceptive pills, hormonal IUDs, copper IUDs, and implants) for clients who cannot afford it. Started in the 2000s, the program for years was regularly helping anywhere between 8-18 clients per month. However, this year demand has more than doubled, as many clients are struggling due to our current economic crisis. We celebrate Halifax Sexual Health Centre’s efforts to make sure people are still able to access essential health care services and join in their efforts pushing for universal contraceptive coverage!
- Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre: Harm Reduction Saturdays (HRS) is a collaborative and holistic approach for connecting clients to a wide variety of health care services. It’s a dedicated space outside of regular business hours, with the goal of meeting client needs on their terms. During HRS, clients can access safer sex and drug supplies, pregnancy tests, menstrual products, HIV self-tests, HRT injection supplies, and more. The relationship-building that happens at HRS has encouraged clients to access even more clinical and educational programming, improving health outcomes for people who often have not felt safe or included in healthcare systems.
- Planned Parenthood Ottawa: Across all of PPO’s pregnancy options programming, staff and volunteers work to help people navigate contraception, pregnancy, adoption, parenting, STIs, abortion, and reproductive coercion. Sine 1996 they have provided free counselling, education sessions, resource distribution and referrals. In 2022 they launched an online Interactive Contraception Portal to help make contraception information more understandable and accessible for everyone. Like many places, they are seeing an increase in demand for their services. Last year there was a 99% increase, with a further jump already being noticed for 2023, showing just how necessary programs like this are.
About the Helen and Bentley Award
The Helen & Fred Bentley Awards for Excellence of Achievement recognize outstanding achievements by Associate Organizations of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, particularly in the contraceptive care.
About Action Canada’s Associate Organizations Network
Action Canada’s Associate Organization Network is a group of sexual health service, support, and education providers from across the country. Together we work to mobilize our movement to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for everyone.
For more information about the winning programs and the Bentley Awards, please contact info@actioncanadashr.org.