Expanded STI Testing/Treatment in Aiken County, SC - Rural Health Services, Inc. (RHS), a non-profit community health center, is located in Aiken County, South Carolina, putting it firmly within the Deep South of the United States. Aiken County, as well as the Greater Augusta Metropolitan Area which it belongs to, has both a disproportionate number of residents living below the federal poverty line and a high burden of STI transmission. New STI infections are concentrated among medically underserved communities, particularly racial and ethnic minorities, and young adults and adolescents. RHS is requesting a funding preference for this project, which will target Aiken County, South Carolina and surrounding areas. This application includes Strategies A and B. RHS will establish a Sexual Health Clinic Community Advisory Committee to foster community collaboration and support linking identified priority populations to sexual health care. Additionally, RHS will establish a Sexual Health Clinic that will be embedded within a clinical department of RHS, to offer comprehensive, accessible sexual health services to community members. RHS will utilize its multiple clinic sites – as well as its multiple mobile health units – to ensure community members from various locations have access to quality, no-cost sexual health care. The Sexual Health Clinic will offer wrap around sexual health services such as STI testing, provider examinations of symptoms, empiric treatment, vaccinations, and risk reduction counseling. During year one, RHS will hire a 0.75 FTE Sexual Health Program Coordinator, 0.50 FTE Sexual Health Clinical Provider, 0.50 FTE Sexual Health Medical Assistant, 0.75 FTE Sexual Health Worker, 0.25 FTE Sexual Health Educator, and 0.50 FTE Grant Management Specialist. This additional staff will be sufficient to implement the proposed Sexual Health Clinic in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Funds will also cover STI testing, STI treatment, provider examinations, supplies, mobile unit travel, technical training and capacity building. The proposed clinic will increase the number of patients screened, tested, and treated for STIs, as well as educated and counseled on sexual health and risk reduction.
