Pima County Health Department HIV/STD Program Overview
Pima County, home to more than 1 million people, is located in southern Arizona and covers 9,000 square miles. The Pima County Health Department (PCHD) operates under the supervision of the elected Pima County Board of Supervisors and is charged with helping residents achieve and maintain an optimal level of wellness. PCHD's mission promotes leadership in protecting health, preventing disease, and promoting community well-being. One of PCHD's operational tenets is to encourage an active network of public health and safety professionals and community-based organizations. PCHD supports a sense of ownership that emphasizes local needs and advocates equitable distribution of public resources and complementary private activities balanced with community needs.
The HIV/STD Program is one of PCHD's fastest growing programs. The goal of the HIV/STD Program is to provide services and resources to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections by providing counseling and testing, partner services, referrals to care, public education, and clinical care. The HIV/STD Program is designed for the integrated delivery of HIV and STD prevention services. The HIV/STD Program is supported by county funding, as well as contracts and grants most commonly with the state health department and other community-based organizations.
Program Highlights
In an effort to increase the number of community members receiving HIV and STD screening and testing, the Program has implemented a variety of changes to its outreach and clinical services:
Outreach and Social Media—Acknowledging that some community members may not access services at the county because of institutional distrust, the HIV/STD Program provides routine outreach to bars, faith communities, treatment centers, community re-entry programs, and shelters. Part of the new effort to expand outreach is the use of social media—particularly Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace—to promote the Program and its services, answer questions from community members, demystify and normalize screening and testing, and connect with other community members who may not otherwise know about the Program.
Express Visit—In addition to the Program offering routine clinics Monday through Friday, it also offers the option of Express Visits. Clients can come in during non-clinic hours on a walk-in basis, and see a counselor who will perform a rapid HIV test, draw blood for syphilis testing, and collect urine for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Clients with infected partners or those engaging in particularly risky behaviors are encouraged to attend a regular clinic but can elect to use the Express Visit if they wish. Express Visits double the number of clinical hours made available to clients and allow a more comprehensive screening for infection than just a rapid HIV test.
Pima County, home to more than 1 million people, is located in southern Arizona and covers 9,000 square miles. The Pima County Health Department (PCHD) operates under the supervision of the elected Pima County Board of Supervisors and is charged with helping residents achieve and maintain an optimal level of wellness. PCHD's mission promotes leadership in protecting health, preventing disease, and promoting community well-being. One of PCHD's operational tenets is to encourage an active network of public health and safety professionals and community-based organizations. PCHD supports a sense of ownership that emphasizes local needs and advocates equitable distribution of public resources and complementary private activities balanced with community needs.
