Free STD Testing in Owensboro, KY

In 2015, an estimated 336 adults and adolescents were diagnosed with HIV in Kentucky. Kentucky ranked 26th among the 50 states in the number of HIV diagnoses in 2015.

However, there has been a nationwide decrease in the percentage of adolescents who have ever had sex. In 2015 among high school students in Kentucky 27 percent of ninth graders had sex compared to 29 percent in 2005.

35 percent of tenth graders reported having sex in 2015. In 2005 it was 46 percent, higher than the 2015 percent.

In Kentucky the rate of primary and secondary syphilis was 3 per 100,000 in 2011 and 3.3 per 100,000 in 2015. The rate was slightly higher in 2015 than in 2011.

Kentucky now ranks 36 in rates of primary and secondary syphilis in the 50 states. There were 12 cases of congenital syphilis from 2011 to 2015.

Concerning Chlamydia and Gonorrhea in Kentucky in 2015 the state ranked 37 among 50 states in chlamydia infections (395.2 per 100,000 persons). The state ranked 25 of the 50 states in gonorrheal infections (106 per 100,000 persons).

Kentucky is 1 of only 22 states that requires sex education be taught in public schools. The standard that is required is to teach the benefits of abstinence to health and wellness.

Kentucky is 1 of only 12 states requiring abstinence education in public schools. Some states require negative information on sexual orientation with this being Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

Some believe that the research shows abstinence only education is not effective. It can be detrimental to the health and safety of students.

This includes STIs and unplanned and teen pregnancies. Kentucky does not restrict a teacher or administrator from providing comprehensive health and wellness education.

Different classes can receive different information even within a single school. This is because it is up to the teacher to design the sex education curriculum.

There is a lack of guidance in sex education curriculum from both the state of Kentucky and the federal Department of Education. Kentucky law leaves decision making largely up to a council of members from each individual school. This school based decision making council creates school policy and selects textbooks.

The council usually consists of three teachers, two parents and an administrator. They are elected to a term of one year.

The council makes high level decisions for each school. This includes decisions about wellness.

There can be problems with continuity from year to year with these decisions. This includes for some people a need for comprehensive sex, health, and wellness education in Kentucky.

Demographics can play a role in our understanding of STD rates in your area. Let’s look at what groups are at risk for acquiring an STI.

While anyone can become infected some groups are at greater risk. These groups at greatest risk include young people and gay and bisexual men.

Young people account for about half of all new STIs. They represent just 25 percent of the population.

Young men and young women are each heavily at risk for STDs. Young women face serious long term health consequences as a woman can become infertile due to an undiagnosed STD.

In Kentucky we see data that shows for HIV the mean male age as 35. For females the mean age is 34 years. We also see 7679 as the number of cases for males. For females the number is 1602. We see HIV in greater numbers in males than females in Kentucky.

The Kentucky rate of individuals diagnosed with STDs per 100,000 people is 209 for chlamydia, 82 for gonorrhea, and 1.3 for syphilis. The rate of adults and adolescents living with HIV/AIDs per 100,000 people is 311. For Kentucky the estimated rate of adults/adolescents newly diagnosed with AIDs per 100,000 people is 15 in the U.S. while the state rate is 8. The rate is highest for African Americans followed by Latinos and Caucasians.

Compared to older adults, sexually active adolescents 15-19 years of age and young adults 20-24 years of age are at higher risk for acquiring STIs. This is due to a combination of behavioral, biological, and cultural reasons.

The higher prevalence of STIs among adolescents reflects multiple barriers to accessing quality STI prevention services, including lack of insurance. It also includes inability to pay, lack of transportation, discomfort with facilities, and concerns about confidentiality.

Most reported chlamydia and gonorrhea infections occur among 15-24 year olds. This demographic represents about 70 percent of all reported chlamydia cases.

Among women aged 15–24 years of age, the population targeted for chlamydia screening, the overall rate of reported cases of chlamydia is highest in the South.

Fortunately, there are facilities in your area that can help you with STI education, testing, and treatment including the Planned Parenthood. The staff is trained to help you with your situation and the Planned Parenthood facility offers STD testing, diagnosis, and treatment including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

The Bluegrass Health Center of Lexington, Kentucky/Planned Parenthood could be an option for this. That is if the trip of about 30 miles is possible.

The center provides testing and diagnosis for HIV and testing, diagnosis, and treatment for bacterial vaginosis, genital warts, herpes, and trichomoniasis. STD prevention services include condoms, HPV (Gardasil) vaccines, hepatitis B vaccines, and STD/safer sex education. The facility tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia using a urine sample. If this test shows an infection, then you will get treatment and an explanation of how your partner can be treated. Rapid HIV testing is done by swabbing the inside of your mouth with results available in 20-40 minutes.

This health center supports and welcomes clients regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or biological sex, including but not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex clients. All services are provided in a respectful and professional manner.

A hospital can also help. This is especially true if you feel embarrassed going to Planned Parenthood. No one will know why you are at the health center. You can also go to a counsellor or nurse at a public high school such as West High School.

A private testing service is another option. Plushcare is such a service. This is an online service. You go to a facility near you to get the testing done after you order a test online. You can also talk to a doctor over the phone using this service.

This kind of service can eliminate embarrassment. It also gives you access to the same kind of testing used by doctors and hospitals. You can visit a local lab without an appointment once you put in a request for an order.  Nothing is reported to your insurance or placed into your medical records.

Consider also that you could go to an urgent care center. One of the less talked about but highly used services of such a center is STD testing. Whether testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes, HIV, or syphilis, these STD screenings you can use to help you.  You can find online reviews about these centers to help you decide to use one including a service in your city.

Whether you to got the Planned Parenthood, a high school counsellor or nurse, an online service, or a clinic or hospital, you can find in your area information about STDs, testing, and treatment. While STD rates are high in your city and area, help is available in your area in the way of testing and treatment that is confidential, discreet, compassionate, and effective.

Consider how the staff at these facilities is trained to help someone like you, especially with the staff at Planned Parenthood or any other facility reminding you to check your health, improve it, and keep yourself healthy by always using a condom to practice safe sex.

Owensboro Medical Health System Hospital is a facility that can help you with information about STD, testing, and treatment. You could go to Owensboro High School also to get information from a nurse or counsellor. Here are links to resources mentioned above.