Need lockdown birth control? Anamata sets up Taupō contraception hub

Anamata nurses (from left) registered nurse Andrea Muir, clinical lead Maree Ginger and nurse practitioner Sue van Mierlo. Photo / Supplied

Youth one-stop health shop Anamata in Taupō has set up a contraception hub to provide contraception and sexual health services for all the community in response to Covid-19.

The service is aiming to help take the pressure off GPs during the lockdown. It is free to under-25s and those with community services cards, and a small fee may apply to others.

Its chief executive Annabel Prescott said Anamata, which has been providing specialist sexual health services in Taupō for 30 years, has been adapting the way it delivers health services due to Covid-19 and lockdown and saw this as a way they could support GPs and their Taupō community.

"We thought this is one way we can take the load off GPs and they were absolutely happy with that."

They have set up an 0800 Anamata (0800 262 6282) number and anyone of any age in Taupō needing contraceptive and sexual health services can ring in. GPs are also redirecting their patients to the Anamata contraceptive hub.

Three nurses at the clinic take the calls, take a history and assess clinical needs via the phone. The service also delivers the contraceptives in the Taupō area daily to save people having to leave their bubble.

If there needs to be a face to face appointment, that is also possible. The three nurses work in their own bubble from Anamata's Heuheu St clinic.

All appointments are booked to manage the number of people coming in and so only one client at a time attends. People are also asked to sanitise their hands and the nurses wear appropriate PPE.

Anamata's team of 14 with a combination of youth workers, nurses and a doctor are now all working off site. The service is in the process of setting up virtual counselling which anyone can ring if they need support.

Anamata usually operates a drop-in service, however Annabel says in the context of a pandemic and lockdown they had to put in a different process.

She says the service sees more than 6000 young people a year aged 12 to 25. The youth development programme is a big part of the work, in particular with the rainbow community, including developing policies making it a safe place, she says. These groups are continuing to be run virtually to ensure young people have access to ongoing support from their peers and also from Anamata.