As local and national rates of syphilis remain high, Clark County Public Health is reminding residents of several free services it provides for sexually transmitted infection prevention and testing.
Public Health offers free weekly testing for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and hepatitis C from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday at its Harm Reduction Center, 1010 Grand Blvd., Vancouver.
The tests must be set up in advance via a request form on the department’s website.
Since September, the department has also provided free telehealth screenings and distributions of at-home test kits as an alternative to in-person visits. These options have helped increase the department’s ability to identify undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections and HIV cases, Public Health spokeswoman Marissa Armstrong said.
As with scheduling a weekly in-person test, self-tests begin with interested residents submitting a form on Public Health’s website, which allows agency nurses to gather information to ensure self-testing is appropriate.
“For example, if the patient is experiencing certain symptoms, the nurse may instead refer them to a health care provider for in-person testing,” Armstrong said via email Thursday.
If self-testing proves appropriate, Public Health arranges for delivery or pickup of the kit. Postage is pre-paid, and any tests that may require further follow-up appointments in person, such as for syphilis, come at no extra cost. Test results are then shared with patients via a confidential online portal.
Armstrong said the agency has received 104 requests for self-test kits since September.
Public Health releases quarterly updates on reported cases of various communicable diseases in Clark County. As of June, reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are all down by double-digit percentage points compared with the same time in 2023.
