“Sex is awesome. STDs are not awesome.”
Yes, I’m listening to Jessica Ladd, a self-described “idealistic nerd”, founder of Sexual Health Innovations and Maxim’s Fierce Woman of February (It’s the month of love, cupid, chocolate, sex, getting it on, getting on top, getting on the bottom, etc…so it’s only fitting.)
Jessica, always a “sexual health nerd” founded Sexual Health Innovations – an organization that utilizes technology to help people lead healthier and more fulfilled lives. How? By helping them have safer sex and boosting their confidence in their sexual health related decisions.
SHI’s primary project – So They Can Know – is a web portal and mobile app that allows individuals to anonymously identify their sexual partners if they have tested positive for an STI.
The website sends a text or email to the recipient along with information on the STI, as well as testing options and locations to encourage proactive behavior. These resources, including tips on how to broach such sensitive issues with sexual partners, are available to all. (The organization has a project on Indiegogo in hopes of raising $25,000 towards marketing and awareness efforts.)
Why is this important?
Right now, only about 23% of at risk-partners are notified. If this percentage increased to around 50% or 60%, curable STDs could be potentially eradicated from several communities!
Each year there are 9.1 million new STI cases among 15-24 year olds in the United States. STIs cost the US healthcare system between $14 and $23 million every year. It’s estimated that one in three people will be diagnosed with an STI in their lifetime. Due to the combination of asymptomatic infections, unsafe sex, people never getting tested, and people never talking about them – STIs spread like wildfire.
“Sex is awkward. STI’s are awkward.”
Jessica’s advice on raising the issue of STDs or condoms? “Embrace the awkward. Maybe even acknowledge it at the start of the conversation.”
Wise woman, isn’t she? Here is more from our interview with Jessica:
Maxim:
A fierce woman is a glorious female creature whose idea of beauty is hinged upon the idea that she can change the world with each breath of her life. Who in your life would you describe as a fierce woman, and why?
Jessica:
Melody Barnes. I had the opportunity to work with Melody in the White House Domestic Policy Council- she was it’s director. She is an unstoppable and extremely intelligent woman who has continuously dedicated herself to making the world a better place. But was impressed me most about Melody was the way she treated the people she worked with—she treated us as equals, and really made us feel valued—even me, a lowly intern. I don’t see that a lot. It caused me to look at myself differently, to value myself more, to think that maybe if Melody Barnes thought I was worth listening to, maybe she was right.”
Maxim:
What is the thing, experience, or person that has inspired you the most in your life? What made you think of creating STCK?
Jessica:
When I was 17, my older sister Anne died after being struck by a car riding her bike. One thing Anne and I had in common was that we both taught San Francisco youth in a summer program called Aim High, and taught a course called Issues and Choices. The course, which I believe Anne helped form the curriculum for, covered lots of issues around sex health, and it was conversations with students that led to the idea of STCK. I then discovered my passion for sexual health issues and the importance of a comprehensive sexual health education around the same time that I was thinking deeply about what I wanted to accomplish by the time I reached Anne’s age. She died when she was 27. I turned 27 a month ago.
Maxim:
Many people join organizations to “do good,” instead of creating their own. How did you find the courage to create your own solutions?
Jessica:
I’m not sure I would call it courage. Both the Social Innovation Lab and Sexual Health Innovations came out of far less admirable emotions—frustration and impatience, really, and a slightly self-serving desire to not let difficult experiences in my own life go to waste. I was constantly frustrated growing up by the lack of clear and helpful information and tools about sexuality and issues around it on the internet. And I was frustrated by the lack of support for students trying to start their own social ventures at Hopkins. In both cases, there weren’t really organizations in those spaces to join, and once I went through all the work of learning about sexual health or about how to form a non-profit organization, I didn’t want that work to end with only benefiting me.
Maxim:
Are you looking for interns/ volunteers? If so, can you give us the information our readers can use to contact you?
Jessica:
Absolutely! They can go to www.sexualhealthinnovations.org/volunteer or email us at team@sexualhealthinnovations.org.
At Maxim Hygiene Products, we understand the value of keeping our most intimate body parts “Soft, Safe and Natural” with the use of organic and natural cotton tampons. So, thanks to Jessica and team for adding a little sexual awareness and protection to the same nether-regions we so actively look to defend, especially with all the love that particular part of the body will be getting this Valentine’s Day! Happy Loving and Safe Sexing! 😉