Research and Evaluation
To inform that general community about
the diverse needs and issues of all
types of sex workers in the Bay Area
is a critical service that we provide
at the St. James Infirmary. Our research
practices are grounded in a participatory,
peer-based process.
The data that we gather is not used
to compromise the safety of our community
nor are we required to gather this information
for any agencies, government or private.
These assessments are about us learning
what our diverse community has to say.
Through our intake assessments we have
learned several valuable things about
our community.
For example, we have learned that:
• Before coming to St.
James, 70% have never disclosed their
sex work status to their medical provider
for fear of discrimination or diminished
health care
• Sex workers who work collectively
have lower rates of HIV and sexually
transmitted infections
• Sex workers who have a history
of arrest of more likely to test positive
for HIV and STI's
This tells us some really important
things about what sex workers need.
First, it is clear that sex workers
are facing stigma and discrimination
in the community in general, and at
their doctor’s office specifically.
How does this impact the health care
of sex workers? In many ways. First,
the level of trust and disclosure that
is necessary for comprehensive care
is missing in a setting where a sex
worker is unable to be honest with his
or her provider for fear of discrimination
and secondly, medical providers are
misinformed about the needs of sex workers.
It also says that sex workers need either:
1) a less stigmatized world to function
in, or 2) medical providers who won’t
compromise their services because their
patient is a sex worker, and/or 3) a
clinic they can call their own.
This information is also critical to
show that sex workers need collective
organizing capacity for increased positive
health outcomes. As documented by other
workers in traditional labor fields,
collective organizing improves health
outcomes, improves negotiating power
and improves employee relationships.
As a criminalized community, sex workers
can be more at risk for violence in
the workplace.
Internship
and Research Guidelines
If you are interested in collaborating
with St. James Infirmary in research
or through internship, please review
our
community guidelines for conducting
research (for PDF download).
St. James Infirmary Publications and
Presentations
- Social Content
and the Health of Sex Workers in San
Francisco
Chart presentation in Power Point.
Collaborative study project between
the University of California at San
Francisco, the St. James Infirmary,
and the San Francisco Department of
Public Health. Funding provided by
the Ford Foundation and the San Francisco
Department of Public Health.
- The
Health Needs of Sex Workers, A Descriptive
Study
Power Point presentation produced
by Chuck Cloniger, FNP & Deborah
Cohan, M.D., in collaboration with
the San Francisco Department of Public
Health and UCSF Department of Obstetrics
& Gynecology.
- Sex
Worker Health, San Francisco Style;
The St. James Infirmary (presentation)
Research results from the collaborative
efforts of SJI staff, UCSF Department
of Obstetrics & Gynecology and
the San Francisco Department of Public
Health. Powerpoint slideshow, 2002.
- A
Pilot Health Assessment of Exotic
Dancers in San Francisco
A summer internship project conducted
by Executive Director Naomi Akers,
as part of the Masters of Public
Health Program at San Francisco
State University. (PDF Download.)
- RenegadeCast:
Evaluating Podcast Social Media as
a Health Promotion Tool for Sex Workers
& Adult Entertainers with Internet
Access (pdf report)
Culminating experience project for
the Masters in Public Health program
at SFSU conducted by Executive Director
Naomi Akers, MPH (c) in collaboration
with Melissa Gira and St. James Infirmary
staff.
|
Home
