In response to a steep increase nationally in treatable sexually transmitted disease, or STIs, the Virginia Department of Health mobile clinic is now visiting communities throughout the district to provide quick, easy, free and confidential testing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate that nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis occurred in the United States in 2017 surpassing the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases.
In response to the increase, the Virginia Department of Health is committed to making testing for STIs a standard part of a person’s medical care, especially for populations most at risk and most affected.
Studies suggest a range of factors may contribute to STI increases, including poverty, stigma, discrimination and drug use.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are curable with antibiotics, yet most cases go undiagnosed and untreated leading to severe adverse health effects including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth in infants and increased HIV risk.
“Too many people believe that all STIs have symptoms when most actually don’t. So a person can be infected and spread the infection without knowing it. The longer a person is infected, the higher the risk of medical complications,” Noelle Bissell, M.D., director of the New River Health District said in an announcement for the mobile clinic. “We have such great contraceptive options now for preventing pregnancy that people often don’t think they still need to use condoms. The only ways to prevent STIs are using condoms or abstaining from sexual activity.”
In addition to the mobile clinic, public libraries are also sites for testing.
Protecting privacy is a concern for patients and the clinic.
“Client confidentiality and privacy are of utmost importance,” Bissell said
At the libraries, there are partitions between the waiting areas and testing rooms. In the mobile clinic, clients are seen one at a time in the bus while others wait outside according to Virginia Department of Health public relations specialist Jennifer Poff Cooper.
The exam room within the bus is private and doored Cooper wrote in an email.
“The nurse transports files in a locked bag. Results are called to the phone number given – the nurse always speaks with the individual, never leaving a message – or people can call and give their PIN to obtain results. Receiving a hard copy of the results requires a signed medical release,” Cooper wrote.
The mobile unit has been used for other services, so simply seeing an individual enter it does not necessarily mean they are undergoing testing for sexually transmitted infections, although it is one of the main purposes of the unit at this time.
The department’s ultimate goal is to have a “mobile health department,” but at this time not all services available at the stationary health departments are available off-site.
The numbers of clients seen off-site is currently low but we are working on a campaign to increase awareness of the importance of testing. Untreated STIs can cause health complications such as infertility, liver damage, and in extreme cases, death. Of course, untreated STIs can also spread quickly.
At the libraries, the testing and signage is only for STIs. However, because the Center for Disease Control recommends that all persons ages 18-65 get tested for STIs at least once, and more often based on risk, getting tested should not be stigmatizing, Cooper wrote.
Dr. Bissell feels there are several reasons for the increased instances of STIs both nationally and locally, lower condom use “and a generation that sees itself as invincible” and is more apt to take risks. Social media, such as hook-up sites also contributes to risky behavior
For more information or to schedule a visit from the mobile clinic, contact the New River Health District at 540-585-3300.