‘Men Only’ Clinic to Open at Golden West : Facility to Focus on Sex-Related Problems

In a move that state school officials believe to be the first of its kind among California’s 106 community colleges, Golden West College next week will launch a “men only” weekly health clinic where male students can get help with sexually related problems, including birth control and AIDS prevention.

“We saw a need for this because young males have difficulty in talking about problems related with sex,” said Marilyn Dickson, a public health service nurse who is director of health services at the Huntington Beach college.

Only male doctors will staff the clinic to better encourage young men to discuss their problems, Dickson said. Male students will use a separate part of the Health Center building, where they can talk to a male doctor or male attendant from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays.

The center has always been open during regular hours to male students, and men have not been hesitant to use the health facilities for treatment of sprains, cuts and physical ailments, Dickson said. “About the same proportion of men and women students use the Health Center on this basis,” she said, “but when females come in with some health matter, they seem more willing to discuss other things that might be on their mind. Also we’ve had family counseling for females and nothing similar like this for males.”

Male students seem less inclined to bring up sexual problems when they come to the Health Center. “We want to make it a little bit easier for them to discuss these issues,” she said.

Once a month the clinic will feature a special talk or film. The first talk, on Feb. 24, will be on “Men and Birth Control.”

Dr. Thomas Prendergast, Orange County Heath Care Agency epidemiologist, said he thinks Golden West College is filling a real need. “This can get information to a portion of the male population before they become at risk (for sexually transmitted diseases),” he said. “This can do a tremendous amount of good. It’s a real service.”

The clinics will be open to both the 6,944 male students at Golden West College and the 5,071 male students at Coastline Community College, whose headquarters are in Fountain Valley, Dickson said. Coastline is a so-called “college without a campus” that operates classes in rented buildings in Westminster, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Coastline has no health center of its own.

Jean Hajduk, a health center nurse who will be clinic coordinator, said she has been working on the project for two years. “We give special counseling to women in many situations, including with abortions, but what about the man who’s involved?” she said. “I’m sure he’s very emotionally involved, but he had no one to counsel him. This clinic will provide help such as that.”

Afraid to Ask

Dr. Keys Keel, a general practice physician from Laguna Beach who will work at the men’s clinic, said young men often are afraid to ask questions about sex because they think it will show a lack of knowledge. “But these young men have real problems to discuss. Sometimes they have ailments, such as skin rashes, that are not sexually transmitted diseases at all, but they think they’re those kind of diseases, and they’re afraid to ask.”

Keel said a general theme of the clinic will be to try to win the confidence of the male students--to get them to open up and talk.

“I find a reluctance in the male population to seek help with their questions, even though they are anxious about sexually transmitted diseases and the AIDS situation.

“You know, women are used to going to doctors and having annual checkups--things such as checks for breast cancer and pap smears. But not many men know of the growing incidence of testicular cancer and the need for testing for that. This is the sort of information we can give during the clinics.”