At a glance
Jurisdictions are leaning into targeted STI prevention and treatment strategies by focusing on the needs and interests of local communities and delivering partnerships invested in meeting people where they are.
March 2023
A pilot program launched in November 2022 in Pennsylvania by the Allegheny County Health Department, the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Hilltop Pharmacy, and Color Health is reshaping and expanding the scope of sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and treatment, offering more flexibility and convenience to patients. Thanks to this new partnership, community members can self-test for chlamydia and gonorrhea, receive results electronically, and stop by a local pharmacy for treatment. To initiate the process, a person requests a self-test online from Color Health and following a positive result, heads to the participating pharmacy. After a pharmacist conducts a brief intake and captures the patient's vital signs, they provide on-the-spot treatment for the diagnosed STI—a process that takes only about 20 minutes from start to finish. This innovative on-demand service also includes access to a "tell your partner" text notification service and referral to a local primary care provider for follow up. The collaborators see the potential for successful replication across other jurisdictions for a number of reasons: it's a simple, convenient process that would increase access to STI health care for many, including those without a permanent address (who can request their test be mailed to a participating pharmacy); those with privacy concerns who might not want test supplies mailed to their home address; those who want to avoid the stigma that may be associated with STI clinics; and those who live in communities without a public health department. The partners are exploring opportunities to phase in syphilis and HIV testing in the future.