STI Testing and Prevention
Local health departments (LHDs) are on the frontlines of sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, testing, and treatment. LHDs offer a multitude of services, including free or low-cost STI/HIV testing and treatment, partner services, and access to condoms, among other things. Additionally, sexual health education, community outreach, and STI/HIV screening events are often organized through LHDs. Health departments also serve as an important resource for healthcare providers by providing education and technical assistance on testing and treatment recommendations. Through the below projects, NACCHO continues to support LHDs in building capacity to address STI rates in their communities.
Check out NACCHO's Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Mail-Order Test Repository.
Feel free to use the information to sort through the companies and learn more about the services they offer to determine which would best serve your jurisdiction's needs. This list will be updated every six months to ensure it contains the most current information.
If you have any questions concerning STI mail-order tests, feel free to contact [email protected]
Stories from the Field provides a means for local health departments to share their experiences and demonstrate the value of public health.
NACCHO's policy statements and communications to Congress and the administration related to STIs are found below. The organization's Board of Directors determines positions on public health issues. Learn how local health departments have used NACCHO's policy statements to influence local, state and federal policy.
NACCHO members participate actively in the organization's policy development process through workgroups. The HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Workgroup contributes to the development and revision of all STI-related policy statements. Learn more about this workgroup and apply to join here.
STI-related policy statements
Health equity policy statements
- Health and Disability
- Health Equity and Social Justice
- Immigrant Health
- LGBTQ Health
- Mass Incarceration and Structural Racism
- Police Violence and Racism
- Women's Health
- Letter to HHS Commenting on the Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan for the United States (2021 - 2025) (10/1/20)
- Joint Letter to Congress Supporting Increased Funding for Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP) (11/16/19)
View more policy statements and letters to Congress and the administration on NACCHO's Policy and Advocacy page.
Stay up to date on the latest HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis tools, news, and resources on our blog, The Essential Elements of Local Public Health! Click through the arrows below to see recent our recent posts or visit the blog to view all posts related to HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis.
Recent News
Find all the latest webinars from the HSH team here.
| Webinar Title | Description | Slides | Date | Additional Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NACCHO's Digital Marketing 101 | NACCHO and KFF recently kicked off their marketing and communications webinar series with the first session, Digital Marketing 101! During the session, participants were joined by Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) and KFF Social Impact Media to learn how to develop social media campaigns during public health events and for emerging sexual health strategies. Participants also learned how to use digital platforms to reach specific audiences with public health information. | Slides | October 25, 2023 | |
| Addressing Social Inequities and STI Disparities | NACCHO recently hosted a webinar, Addressing Social Inequities and STI Disparities, on Thursday, April 27th to discuss social inequities and STI disparities amongst Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). We were joined by Errol Fields, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., who has several years of experience in this area as he is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine within the Department of Pediatrics Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine. During the webinar, Dr. Fields focused on syphilis and its disproportionate burden on the Black community, as well as how race and sexuality contribute to sexual health disparities, and strategies that can be employed to eliminate those disparities. | Slides | April 27, 2023 | |
| 340B Basics and Beyond | Would your health department benefit from understanding and utilizing the 340B Drug Pricing Program? NACCHO and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) explored the basics and beyond of 340B. Learn how the 340B Drug Pricing Program can support health department operations—saving money, generating revenue, and expanding sexual health services. | Slides | January 25, 2022 | Blog post with additional resources |
| STI Testing: New Point-of-Care Advances | On December 9, 2021, NACCHO, the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) hosted a webinar on a new point-of-care technology for testing of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the impact of its use for health departments. | Slides | December 9, 2021 | Blog post with additional resources |
NACCHO’s Model Practices Program nationally honors and recognizes outstanding local public health practice and shares the outstanding practices through the Model Practices Database. By submitting a practice, LHDs contribute to the overall improvement of public health through effective evidence-based practice methods.
Model Practices are awarded to local health departments across the country for implementing programs that demonstrate exemplary and replicable outcomes in response to an identified public health need. Promising Practices are exciting approaches and strategies to local public health issues that are on track to becoming Model Practices. Each awarded practice was reviewed by a committee of peers, made up of other local health department professionals, and selected from a competitive collection of applications.
View the drop-downs below to access select STI-related Model Practice and Promising Practice award winners from the last two years. To view all Model Practice awardees from previous years, visit our searchable database.
| Application Title | Award Status | Year Awarded | Health Department Name | Keywords | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCHD-Grindr Partnership to Alert Grindr Users to Syphilis Outbreak | Model Practice | 2020 | Monongalia County Health Department | STI prevention, partnerships, promotion, outreach, MSM, social media, dating app, syphilis outbreak, sexual health | |
| Public Health Detailing as a Strategy to Address Congenital Syphilis | Model Practice | 2020 | Los Angelas County Department of Public Health (CA) | STI prevention, partnerships, public health detailing, provider engagement, congenital syphilis, reproductive health, pregnancy, perinatal screening | |
| Increasing Access to PrEP in a Sexual Health Clinic | Model Practice | 2020 | Jefferson County Department of Health (AL) | PrEP, STI, HCV testing, HCV treatment, HIV prevention | |
| Be Well Maryland Mobile Wellness "Wellmobile" | Model Practice | 2020 | Anne Arundel County Department of Health (MD) | Harm reduction, mobile services, MAT, naloxone, HIV prevention, STI prevention, syringe exchange | |
| Healthcare on the Spot: Integrated Mobile Treatment | Promising Practice | 2020 | Baltimore City Health Department (MD) | Harm reduction, mobile services, MAT, Naloxone, HIV prevention, STI prevention, syringe exchange | |
| The Ask: Partnering to Connect At-Risk Teens with Sexual Health Resources | Promising Practice | 2019 | DuPage County Health Department (IL) | Sexual health, adolescent health, education, HIV prevention, STI prevention, community engagement, coalition | |
| Community Collaboration to Enhance STD Testing at a Juvenile Assessment Center | Promising Practice | 2019 | Pinellas County Health Department (FL) | STI prevention, adolescent health, corrections facility, chlamydia, gonorrhea, STI testing, partnerships, linkage to care |