My Working Day: Mick Quinlan, co-ordinator of the Gay Men's Health Project, the only statutory gay health service in the State, is very proud of the organisation.
I co-ordinate the Gay Men's Health Project which is a HSE project based in Baggot Street Hospital. I helped found the project in 1992 and it is a very welcomed initiative.
As I manage the project, I have to attend meetings, send reports and carry out research. But the job is not just about sitting in an office, although that can be a big part of it. The other aspect of it is that I'm frontline, working in the sexual health clinics for gay and bisexuals which we run Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Because I work late those two nights, I generally work a four-day week.
At the clinics I'm involved in carrying out pre-test counselling for HIV and dealing face to face with people about identifying risks and their needs before having the screening. While we have a triage nurse, I also help streamline cases, making sure that people go to the appropriate service within the clinic. It's very busy, especially at the Wednesday night clinic where we run a full STI screening service. Up to 70 men attend each Wednesday and between the two clinics we get about 4,500 visits a year. There are doctors, nurses, counsellors, outreach workers and myself at every clinic. It's very informal, friendly and confidential.
The Gay Men's Health Project also organises sexual health promotion and awareness within the gay community. Our outreach workers who are based in Outhouse, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community centre on Capel Street, distribute safe sex packs that include condoms, lubricants and information. We are involved in producing and designing our own publications which we also distribute.
I give a lot of training, for instance, on homophobia and heterosexual awareness, and am involved in issues such as HIV stigma and male prostitution.
We have to be aware ourselves of what's going on so we liaise with the gay community advocate for services and rights issues. I'm also involved with a number of national groups such as the Gay Health Network and the LGBT Network and I'm a member of the National Aids Strategy Committee and also the Education Prevention Sub-Committee.
The situation in Ireland has changed a lot for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as there are more and more organisations and more people doing stuff, which is great. But we are the only statutory gay health service in the State and we are very proud of it. Eventually, I would like to see a comprehensive sexual health service for gay and bisexual men throughout Ireland.
My job is not just going to meetings and talking about strategy, it's also at the other end, delivering the services and getting feedback from clients. That's what I love about the job, it has that mix.
In conversation with Danielle Barron