title: Public health departments providing sexually transmitted disease services.
abstract: Results of a 1995 survey reveal that 1,437 local health departments-half of those in the country-provide sexually transmitted disease (STD) services and receive about two million client visits each year. Their clients are predominantly individuals with incomes of less than 250% of the poverty level (83%), women (60%) and non-Hispanic whites or blacks (55% and 35%, respectively); 36% of clients are younger than 20, and 30% are aged 20-24. On average, 23% of clients tested for STDs have chlamydia, 13% have gonorrhea, 3% have early-stage syphilis, 18% have some other STD and 43% have no STD. Virtually all public STD programs offer testing and treatment for gonorrhea and syphilis; only 82% test for chlamydia, but 97% provide treatment for it. Some 14% offer services only in sessions dedicated to STD care, 37% always integrate STD and other services, such as family planning, in the same clinic sessions, and 49% offer both separate and integrated sessions. STD programs that integrate services with other health care typically cover nonmetropolitan areas, have small caseloads, serve mainly women and provide a variety of contraceptives. In contrast, those that offer services only in dedicated sessions generally are in metropolitan areas and have large caseloads; most of their clients are men, and few provide contraceptive methods other than the male condom.
authors.affiliation: Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), New York, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Landry
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Forrest
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003625:Data Collection; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011203:Poverty; D011634:Public Health; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States