A new kind of health center was inaugurated this Thursday in Montpellier: The Spot, a stone’s throw from the police station managed by the association Aides. Brand new, it has actually been open since July. It is a center of sexual health with a community approach, “in Montpellier, there is an interest in chemsexers who consume products for the purpose of sexual performance with a very high risk of infection with HIV or STIs. There are also sex workers and generally men who have sexually transmitted diseases. sex with men “ specifies Camille Spire, the national president of Aides, adding that Le Spot also addresses “drug users”.
“These are the communities which are the most at risk and the furthest from care. Because judgment, because complicated to deal with it with your doctor” – (Camille Spire)
After Marseille, Paris and before Nice, Le Spot de Montpellier is the third in France. Support is comprehensive with consultations, by appointment or not, provided by general practitioners, psychologist, urologist, addictologist but also gynecologist, sexologist and nurses. You can be screened, treated, vaccinated if necessary (Hepatitis A and B and papillomavirus). On site, there is even a laboratory for quick analyzes.
“Montpellier is not a choice by chance. Among men who have sex with other men, there are 2% more people living with HIV than the national average” – (Camille Spire)
Why this community approach? “For avoid difficult and complicated experiences“ according to Vincent Péchenot, head of Aid in Montpellier. “For a trans person, for example, because the vital card does not start with the correct number, it means being with a practitioner who will systematically overpower this person. For men who have sex with other men, it can be practices that will be difficult to explain to a doctor who does not know them. And if we do not talk about these practices, we will not have the medical answers that correspond “.
Free and anonymous support
In just over two months of opening, Le Spot has already received around 200 people. The sexual health center is open every afternoon from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Friday. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and therefore closed on Sunday and Monday. It is located at 16 boulevard d’Orient.
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