Cork City Hall to host sexual health conference

CORK is to play host to a sexual health conference tomorrow, which aims to enable sectors across Ireland to better respond to sexual health concerns.

The Sexual Health Network Conference is being held at Millennium Hall in Cork City Hall, and has been organised by Ireland’s first sexual health network.

The network is an interagency platform made up of the Sexual Health Centre, GUM / STI clinic, Youth Health Services, Gay Project, LINC, Sexual Violence Centre Cork, Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, Cork HIV Treatment Clinic, Public Health and Health Promotion and Improvement.

The aim of the interagency network is to focus on their shared and common goals, and to work together to achieve them.

Funded by Healthy Ireland, the conference will showcase the services available to communities across Cork city and highlight the interagency website (www.mysexualhealth.ie) as a resource for all.

“Ireland’s first Sexual Health Network is hosting a conference in Cork City Council with a focus on developing capacity across the education, healthcare and social care sectors to better respond to sexual health concerns,” explained Catherine Kennedy, manager of the Cork Sexual Health Centre.

“The keynote address, delivered by Dr Kate Dawson from the National University of Ireland, Galway, will focus on pornography.

“Pornography continues to be an emerging public health issue across the globe,” added Ms Kennedy.

“Kate’s PhD research at the School of Psychology focused on internet pornography and the development of an evidence base for a youth-centred pornography literacy intervention, which aims to promote critical engagement with pornographic content.

“The conference presentation will focus on how services can effectively respond to client, service user and population need.”