Don't let being uneasy keep you from engaging patients about sex, sexual health, and sexuality. You can be a vital resource for learning about sexual health, what it takes to have a good sex life, and strategies to prevent, identify, act, and be aware of what causes problems in sexual health.
Sex is part of being human. Love and feelings of closeness play a role in healthy relationships from childhood through old age. Sexual health is as important as physical, mental and spiritual health. Being sexually healthy allows for:
- Having healthy relationships.
- Planning pregnancies.
- Preventing diseases.
Sexual health is a state of well-being in relation to sexuality across the lifespan that involves physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions. Sexual health is based on a positive, equitable, and respectful approach to sexuality, relationships, and reproduction, that is free of coercion, fear, discrimination, stigma, shame, and violence.
Building Skills in Sexual Health
The Building Skills in Sexual Health Training Program is a partnership and collaboration between DOH, HCA, Washington Association for Community Health, and MWAETC/UW to increase access to sexual health and prevention services and treatment through provider education, outreach, recruitment, and ongoing competency development resources. Session impact is evaluated annually.
Our purpose is to increase the number of CHC/primary care locations in WA that offer STI services, HIV and viral hepatitis treatment, and improve health care access, experiences for OID’s key populations by supporting and assisting FQHC and primary care clinics with routinizing sexual health care and prevention and becoming sexual health care champions.
Webinar Series
Year 3 Training Sessions: October 2024 - June 2025
October 25, 2024
- DoxyPEP, EPT, & Introduction to National PrEP Curriculum
- Why does Bias matter? Department of Health
- What is a Service Industry? Indeed
- How Apple and Nike have branded your brain YouTube
- Service Quality: Definition, 5 Dimensions, and Implementation Indeed
- What is Stigma Flyer Department of Health
November 15, 2024
- Let's Talk Stigma Bias in Healthcare
- BSSH Worksheet leveraging DoxyPEP Department of Health
- BSSH Bias and Stigma Reduction Practice Department of Health
- Unconscious Bias Training Resources from LinkedIn Department of Health
- Addressing unconscious bias in recruiting Harvard Business Review
- Don’t Give Up on Unconscious Bias Training - Make it Better Harvard Business Review
- 15 Steps To Reduce Unconscious Bias In The Hiring Process Forbes
- How to Avoid Unconscious Bias in Hiring Monster
December 1, 2024: No session - World AIDS Day
January 27, 2025 - 2 PM - 3:30 PM (90 minute session)
- Engaging & Learning from Patients
- 7 Ways to Support Patients (PDF)
- Bias and Stigma Reduction - Practice Perspective Taking (PDF)
- Office of Infectious Disease Health Equity Report 2024, Page 10. Department of Health,
- Building Empathy into the Structure of Health Care. Harvard Medical School.
- The Importance of Cultural Diversity in Healthcare. Quality Interactions.
February 21, 2025 - 9 AM - 10:30 AM (90 minute session)
March 21, 2025 - 9 AM - 10:00 AM
April 18, 2025 - 9 AM - 10:30 AM (90 minute session)
May 16, 2025 - 9 AM - 10:00 AM
June 20, 2025 - 9 AM - 10:00 AM
Year 2 Training Sessions: July 2023 - May 2024
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: From Sexual Risk to Sexual Health July 21, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: HIV Prevention August 18, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: STD Health September 15, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Hepatitis Update October 20, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Let's Talk Stigma November 17, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Taking a Sexual Health History January 19, 2024
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Substance Use in Context of Sexual Health: April 19, 2024
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Resources for Adolescent Sexual Health May 17, 2024
Year 1 Training Sessions: July 2022- May 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Collecting SOGI and Sexual History Information July 15, 2022
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: STI Update for Primary Care August 19, 2022
- Building Skills in Sexual Health Series: HIV Prevention for Primary Care September 18, 2022
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Let's Talk Stigma November 18th, 2022
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Hepatitis B and C Screening and Treatment January 20th, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: HIV and STD Care for Gen Z Patients February 17th, 2023
- March 2023 – No session
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Chemsex and Harm Reduction April 21, 2023
- Building Skills in Sexual Health: Reproductive Health May 19th, 2023
Contact: DCHSIDBusiness@doh.wa.gov