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| - OK, people. Time to hunker down and get real serious-like. There's no appropriate Yelp category for what the Hassle Free Clinic is - and that's a reproductive and sexual health clinic. This is THE place to go for STI and HIV testing, sexual health counselling, abortion referral, questions about pregnancy, birth control acquisition and the like.
It's a really great place to go if you're not comfortable talking to your family doctor about birth control or if you don't want to get on a ridiculous waiting list for a gynecologist. The staff is very open-minded, compassionate and knowledgeable. The clinic actually lives up to its name - it has been truly hassle free during each of my visits.
There are separate hours for men and women. STI testing is on a drop-in basis but HIV testing requires an appointment. You can only call to make an appointment during the hours for your particular gender. I've listed the women's clinic hours but there's a separate entry with the men's hours on it. This is a bit tricky if you want to go in to get tested with your new boyfriend (notice I wasn't gender neutral - we all know it's usually the dude who has to be coerced into getting an STD test, right??) but usually you can work it out that you get tested towards the end of the women's hours and they go at the beginning of men's hours. Go grab food at Salad King while you wait for the turnover.
All testing is FREE and no health card is required. You read that correctly. HIV testing can be anonymous if desired. There are two types of HIV tests and both are blood tests: one is the regular test, which is sent to the Ministry Of Health for assessment and ready in 7-10 days. You call to see if your results are ready (you're referred to by a number)
and then go in a second time to get the results. Fun, but not nearly as fun as...
Rapid on-site testing! They've been doing this at the HFC since 2002. You fill out a sexual health questionnaire that assesses your risk for HIV in the first place, then they prick your finger with a needle, take the blood sample and test it for the presence of HIV antibodies. You get the results in 5-10 minutes, and if it's positive they follow up with a full blood test to double confirm.
You get a certification that you are HIV and STI free as of whatever date you were there when you leave - a nice little reference for you to show off. You know, on your fridge, or whatever.
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