University of Virginia Library

Coed Clinic Expands Services

young, non-college women could
receive help from available sources,
such as out-patient clinics or private
doctors. Student Health facilities at
coeducational institutions are only
recently beginning to realize their
obligations in this area of medical
practice."

The clinic opened on February
1, and by the second week in
February it was booked up until
the third week in March. The
response was greater than
anticipated, causing the clinic to be
expanded to Thursday afternoons
in addition to the regular
Wednesday afternoon session.

In creating a gynecology clinic
which provides contraceptive as
well as medical aid, the doctors
responsible for the service have had
to deal with problems in several
areas, including legal, ethical, social,
and legislative complexities. The
medical aid, however, is
administered with the philosophy
that by providing birth control
devices the clinic is not promoting
promiscuity but merely helping to
prevent pregnancies, since almost
all of the women who come for
counseling are already sexually
active.

Dr. Turner also served as an
advisor in the publication of the
pamphlet "An Ounce of
Prevention," which has gone into
its second printing. The booklet is
considered by its editors and
Student Council sponsors to have
been quite valuable, judging by
student response. Four thousand
copies of the second edition are
now available.

As a follow-up to this pamphlet,
plans are now being made for teams
composed of doctors, nurses, and
medical students to visit the dorms
shortly after spring break to
conduct lectures and lead
discussions on aspects of human
sexuality. Included in these sessions
will be discussions of venereal
disease, the physiology of the
menstrual cycle, and problems of
sexuality. Models of the female
reproductive tract and examples of
birth control devices will be
displayed.

There is also the possibility of
the development of an
undergraduate course along the
lines of a course now offered at the
University of North Carolina
entitled "Topics in Human
Sexuality."