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| Nurse Service Clare Shepherd, Anchor Nurse, talking to a visitor in the Bridge - taken from our video 'Week In The Life' on YouTube
The Anchor Nurse and Medical Room Every Tuesday a nurse from the Anchor health team is available for advice, practical procedures and support. She uses the medical room which was specially set up at the Jesus Centre. She also makes herself available to see visitors on alternate Sunday evenings, during the Solid Rock Cafe event.
Clare told us:
‘I love working
here’
Clare
Shephard is a nurse with the Anchor medical team and she does
outreach work at the Jesus Centre. She told us her story:
When my brother
died I wanted to help other vulnerable people. I worked in social
inequality project for two years but in the end I felt I was doing
too much number crunching and was powerless to make real changes.
Now I work at the Anchor Centre
three days a week and I am close to completing a degree. That was a
challenge that I wanted to tackle to improve the care I could give. I
also do outreach work at the Salvation Army Hostel, and that fulfils
more of my dream too.
I
first met people from the Jesus Army way back in 1991 and made
friends there. But it wasn’t until 2003 that I first came to the
Jesus Centre as a nurse with the Anchor team. I had study leave for a
couple of years, but I’m back here now and I love it.
I
like
the
way
the
Jesus
Centre
gives
holistic
care
which
reaches
every
aspect
of
a
person’s
need
and
tackles
the
root
causes
of
issues
in
people
who
have
not
being
accessing
the
services
they
need.
They
come
here
and
build
relationships.
It’s
an
anchor
for
them
and
they
keep
coming
back.
One
guy
today
said
he
would
never
access
a
GP
but
after
weeks
or
even
months
he
did
say
he
would
go
to
the
Anchor
Centre’s
GP.
You
get
to
know
people
who
you
wouldn’t
have
the
opportunity
to
meet
otherwise.
I
help
at
the
Christmas
night
shelter
and
I
see
people
there
that
I
have
never
met
-
we
are
touching
the
tip
of
an
iceberg.
I
usually
work
with
about
six
people
each
session.
I
often
meet
someone
new.
Today
I
met
a
guy
who
had
just
moved
to
Coventry
and
I
was
able
to
help
him
get
a
GP.
At
a
personal
level,
I
really
know
that
this
is
the
work
I
am
meant
to
do.
My
past
experience
is
the
sort
that
can
either
make
you
bitter,
or
it
makes
you
want
to
make
the
world
a
better
place,
and
I’m
glad
to
be
in
the
second
category.'
Chlamydia testing is available on request. Just turn up, it's confidential and no appointment is needed. |
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| INFO > Tuesday mornings in the Bridge drop-in - no appointment needed > Advice: Diet, medication, contraception, screening procedures, health problems, minor illness, sexual health, vaccinations etc > Practical procedures: Dressings, blood pressure recordings, blood sugar levels, urine testing, checking ears, weigh-ins etc > Support: Additional support during anxiety, depression or seeking help with drug, alcohol or smoking habits > Support in accessing your own doctor or getting a GP. If you are homeless, advice on how to access the Anchor Centre GP service > Signposting: Support in accessing other services such as Foot Care, Dental Care, Womens Health & Information, Community Drug Team, Psychiatry services, housing providers, voluntary services etc > Just come to the drop-in and talk to the nurse or her support worker.
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| | What you may need to know about Chlamydia Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that you can have without any symptoms. It is very common, men and women can catch it, though young women are more at risk. Symptoms that women can have include cystitis and mild lower abdominal pain, but these can be casued by other things too. It can cause infertility if not treated, including fallopian tube blockage, (and ectopic pregnancy). In men, chlamydia is the most common cause of discharge from the penis. Sometimes chlamydia can cause mild irritation at the tip of the penis (urethra) that disappears after two or three days.
Many men will wait to see if the discomfort goes away. While it may disappear, the man can still harbour the infection. It could lead to inflamed and swollen testicles and reduced fertility. Unprotected sex and multiple partners put you at risk of catching Chlamydia. Treatment is simple and painless, with antibiotics. You can test yourself for it quite simply with a kit that we keep at the Jesus Centre. Margot from the Anchor team comes in on Tuesday mornings and can explain how to use the kit, or Thea, one of our volunteers who is also a nurse; she usually volunteers on a Sunday morning. The results of the test are sent direct to you and are treated as completely confidential.
If you do have Chlamydia, it makes it quite likely that you could have other STIs. If you test positive for Chlamydia, it would be agood idea to get a full sexual health check at the genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics.
Coventry Sexual Health/GUM clinic Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital Stoney Stanton Road Tel: 024 7684 4164 |
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