Like many nonprofits South of Market, St. James Infirmary—the free health clinic that’s been serving current and former sex workers and their families since 1999—is preparing for an unexpected move.
For the past 14 years, the nation’s only occupational health and safety clinic run for and by sex workers has operated out of a small space at 1372 Mission Street, between Ninth and 10th. There, it offers a full range of services, from primary and urgent medical care to mental-health and substance-abuse counseling to hormone therapy for transgender men and women.
But last summer, St. James' building was put up for sale, and the new owner did not intend to keep the clinic — on a month-to-month sublease through the Department of Health — on the site much longer.
After six months of searching and uncertainty, St. James thinks it's finally found a new space: the former Housing and Urban Health Clinic at 234 Eddy St.
The lease isn't signed yet, but "things are going very well," executive director Stephany Ashley told a small group of Tenderloin neighbors that gathered to hear the nonprofit's relocation plans late last week.
The space is an ideal one: the former tenant moved in with the Tom Waddell Urban Health Clinic at Golden Gate and Leavenworth last year, leaving behind a fully operable health clinic, complete with exam rooms and a lab. Depending on repairs and remodeling, Ashley is confident that St. James could be up and running there in just a few weeks, provided the lease is approved by the Health Commission and the Board of Supervisors in early February.
One of St. James Infirmary's exam rooms at 1372 Mission St. (Photo: St. James Infirmary/Facebook)
Currently, St. James Infimary offers its clients "low-impact, appointment-based services," such as therapy and case management, on weekdays. "High-impact drop-ins" can receive a full range of healthcare services on Wednesday nights from 6-9pm.
A main concern for neighbors in attendance was the volume of St. James' clientele, which could potentially create lines outside the clinic. The new space is located below the city-operated Windsor Hotel and next to Boeddeker Park, a regular destination for neighborhood youth and seniors.
Ashley noted that St. James' clientele has steadily increased over the past year as the cost of living in the city has climbed, and as a result, some clients have either returned to sex work or become uninsured. However, she assured neighbors that St. James never has a line outside for its drop-in services. As not all of the clinic's patients are "out" about their profession, privacy and confidentiality are key.
The current location in SoMa doesn't have a sign—new clients generally find St. James through word of mouth—and includes a waiting room and a "warm, hospitable" community room where clients can access hot meals, clothing and more during drop-in hours. "We make it feel like people don’t have to hang out outside,” Ashley said.
St. James volunteers making supply kits for the organization's outreach.
How clients would access the clinic was also a concern for neighbors. Ashley explained that at the SoMa location, the doors remain open during drop-in hours, but during appointment-only hours, patients ring a doorbell for entry. For Eddy Street, she's considering using a call box outside instead.
As an alternative, some suggested that the door to the lobby remain unlocked at all times, with a receptionist downstairs admitting patients or a second set of internal doors that can be regulated from inside. While Ashley noted that staffing resources were a constraint, she said she'd consider those suggestions.
Despite those minor issues, no one at last week's meeting was opposed to the clinic moving in. Tom Mesa, manager of DPH's Business Office of Contract Compliance, said he posted a notice on the building in early December, and has not received a single call or email about the relocation plans. That's likely due to the fact that neighbors are used to having mental-health and substance-abuse services offered in that location, he said.
Before wrapping up the brief meeting, Ashley added that St. James' healthcare services may not be open to all neighbors, but they do want to welcome all the wider community into the program in some way, possibly by handing out free socks or food on a specific evening each week.
Under the assumption that the new clinic's lease will be approved next month, St. James is already conducting outreach to sex workers in the Tenderloin and Civic Center, letting them know about the organization, its services and the potential new location on Eddy Street. In the meantime, St. James Infirmary's doors are still open at 1372 Mission St.
Questions, comments and concerns about St. James Infirmary's plans to move to 234 Eddy St. can be shared with Tom Mesa at [email protected] or (415) 255-3749, or Stephany Ashley directly at (415) 554-8494 and [email protected]. The community is also invited to weigh in during the Health Commission's public hearing on Feb. 2nd.
