A colourful mural dedicated to a founding physician of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre (HSHC) is now a permanent fixture in its waiting room.
Created to mark the 50th anniversary of the non-profit organization, the piece by Shannon Long and assisted by David Hamp-Gonsalves is called ‘Connection.’
Officially founded in 1971 as the Metro Family Planning Association, HSHC would’ve celebrated 50 years of existence in 2021. But pandemic measures quashed plans for a big party.
“But it is never too late to celebrate,” noted an HSHC media release on Thursday.
The mural is dedicated to Dr. Pam Brown, one of HSHC’s founding physicians. Brown was one of two physicians in a small clinic opened by the Family Planning Association of Nova Scotia on Gottingen Street in 1973. It was located in an old bank vault that boasted a phone line, small office, and volunteers.
That clinic, HSHC said, evolved into Planned Parenthood Metro Clinic, which then moved to Veith House. This is where Brown “spent her committed and compassionate career.” When Brown retired at 75, the clinic had become the Halifax Sexual Health Centre. Brown died in 2020 at the age of 87.
We are proud to finally highlight Dr. Brown’s incredible influence on the organization that became HSHC with this physical dedication. Her passion for delivering inclusive and compassionate sexual health care and education despite political and social adversity lives on in the way we practice medicine at HSHC to this day.
A waiting room reminder of HSHC’s values
The centre’s staff wanted the mural to highlight the clinical aspects of sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming health care. But they also wanted it to showcase “the joy and affirmation that comes from having your health needs met.” As noted in its news release:
We embraced the innuendo and playfulness inherent in our work to remind people in our waiting room of our values. At HSHC, we are sex positive, pro-choice, confidential, community driven, youth friendly, 2SLGBTQIA+ focused, and judgment free.
Long, the artist, said one of her 2023 life highlights was getting to work on the HSHC mural.
“As a trained animator and comic enthusiast, I tried to incorporate sequence and movement using panels and flowing colours to capture the eye and pull it across the piece,” Long said in the release.
“Mixing static and dynamic elements to breathe life into the details, creating cohesion, from doctor to sexy hands! My hope is the cheeky mural inspires those in the waiting room to take a moment to google the impressive Dr. Pam Brown [after giggling at some suggestive fruit].”
The mural was funded by a donation from HSHC’s physician team. They pool their compensation from training medical residents and students to fund an annual project at the centre.
Pam Brown was a lovely woman and a wonderful doctor.
In the early 1980s, I worked as a volunteer receptionist in the evening at the North End Community Health Clinic on Gottingen Street. Dr Pam Brown with her dynamite receptionist, used one of the clinician rooms to see clients. I remember they worked long into the evening – always two hours after the clinic closed. Such dedication – they never turned anyone away. What a privilege it was to know Dr Brown and her receptionist.