Wellness hub to improve women’s health, fight STD
A community health clinic turned wellness center is helping lower the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infections among women in Subic, Zambales.
Refurbished and renovated by Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RP Energy), the former health center now Usapang Babae Health and Wellness Hub in Brgy. Calapandayan offers cheap Gram staining and pap smear tests.
It also conducts seminars on cervical cancer awareness and basic reproductive health consciousness for females in the area.
“We’re glad to have this opportunity to help address the concerns and problems of RP Energy’s stakeholders. As part of our commitment, we hope to improve the quality of healthcare and wellness of women especially in Zambales,” said Grant Smith, RP Energy project manager.
RP Energy together with the Presidential Council on Women (PCW) sponsored the refurbishment of the wellness hub facility and also provided new medical equipment. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections are considered the top killer and most widely-monitored among STDs.
The Department of Health’s National AIDS Registry reports that in the first quarter of 2012, 10 new cases of HIV infections are diagnosed every day. To date, there are more than 10,500 people living with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines. “Gram staining and pap smear procedures offered by the wellness center for residents have significantly reduced the local incidence of STDs compared to data gathered four years ago,” said Dr. Leonardo Afable Jr., Subic municipal health officer.
According to Dr. Afable, the women from the local communities also see the clinic as a second home where they can open up and share with other women health-related lessons from their experiences.
The Usapang Babae Health and Wellness Hub is part of RP Energy’s KliniKaBarangay Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative, the first corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in the country that addresses women’s health and wellness concerns.
The program also conducts seminars to create awareness about the rights of women and how they can protect themselves against STDs, violence and abuse. RP Energy’s Grant Smith hopes that, in the future, the KliniKaBarangay Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative could also train barangay health workers in STD counseling and HIV screening.Energy), the former health center now Usapang Babae Health and Wellness Hub in Brgy.
Calapandayan offers cheap Gram staining and pap smear tests. It also conducts seminars on cervical cancer awareness and basic reproductive health consciousness for females in the area.