Free STD Testing in Waterloo, IA

Unfortunately, your county has the highest rate of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in the state. The state has record high STD rates. This is according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Your county had 776 cases of the sexually transmitted diseases per 100,000 people. It also had 740 cases of chlamydia, 233 cases of gonorrhea, and five cases of syphilis. The battle with STD rates in the county has been going on for years. This is according to the county’s disease surveillance program manager Ann Rogers.

It is a constant struggle. We do not know why the rates are so high. The rates are a reflection of national trends. The United States has some of the highest rates for STDs and teen pregnancy in the industrialized world. The whole country is struggling with STD issues. We also do not know why your county is seeing such high rates. Here are some statistics to note with an overall number of 776 STDs per 100,000 people in the county.

• 631 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people in your county today
• 347 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people in the United States in 2006
• 50 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people in the United States in 1987
• 120 gonorrhea cases per 100,000 people in the country today
• Gonorrhea rates increased 75 percent from 2013 to 2016 in the country
• Syphilis rates increased 450 percent from 2011 to 2013 in the country

Your county has the highest rates of STIs in the state per 100,000 people. Remember that chlamydia cases alone are 631 per 100,000 for your county. The next closest county in rates is Webster county with 578 cases.

In Iowa the law states that each school board will provide age appropriate and research based instruction in human growth and development. This includes instruction about human sexuality, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, stress management, domestic abuse, HPV, and the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV. It should also include information about acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

This education should take place in grades one through 12. Research based means information that is medically accurate. The information should also be objective and come from professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field.

The Iowa Department of Education provides examples of research based materials and resources on health education topics, human growth and development, health literacy, and wellness literacy. Schools can use these research based materials and resources listed to add into their curricula and reinforce the importance of prevention measures when reasonable with parents and students. The research based materials and resources are reviewed and updated annually. Health Literacy (21st Century Skills) in Iowa Core gives guidance to schools on standards and learning goals. This covered education in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

In Iowa health education standards for preschool through grade 12 are required to teach from a gender fair and multicultural approach. It should include a global perspective at all levels in the education program. Programs required appear in law from kindergarten to grade 12.

Demographics play a role in STI rates and numbers of cases.  Keep in mind this role has existed with a problem of high STI rates in Black Hawk County for over a decade. It is a concern that strategically affects the area. This is according to a former Public Health Director for the county.  An STI Coalition in the county is working with the current Public Health Director to tackle the issue and look more closely at demographics. The effort will look at demographic data to figure out what caused rates to go up and better target programs.

This STI Coalition is doing data analysis to target defined groups with high rates. Their intervention involved getting people tested and treated. Work is underway with the Iowa Department of Public Health and University of Northern Iowa to break down the data on sexually transmitted infections.

This includes a system wide approach at related public health issues, looking at social determinants likely to lead to negative health outcomes. This involves looking at factors like educational attainment, access to physical activity, poverty rates, and other factors to assess likely health outcomes in communities. This approach worked before in the county to reduce teen birth rates.

• One in five births was to a teen mother in the county in 1995, with the county leading the state in the number of teen births with the number at 264 births
• One in 20 births was to a teen mother in 2015 with the number down to 79 from 264

Here is additional demographic data uncovered by the coalition.

• Youths of color faced different rates for teen pregnancy and STIs
• Age 15 to 24 had the highest STD rates
• 41 percent of high schoolers have had sexual intercourse

Fortunately, there are facilities in your city and area that can help you with STI education, testing, and treatment including the Planned Parenthood/Cedar Falls Health Center. This Planned Parenthood location is a place that can help you with STD education, testing, and treatment. The staff is trained to help you with your situation and the Planned Parenthood/Cedar Falls facility offers STD testing, diagnosis, and treatment including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Additionally, 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.

Another facility that can help is one located in your city and is the Black Hawk County Health department. This facility tests for every STD. The Cedar Falls AIDs Support Center can also help. It provides STD testing services. It is also located in your city.

A hospital such as Covenant Health Center 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.

STD Check is another option. They advertise that they are 100 percent confidential. You get results in one to two days. All tests are FDA approved. Same day testing is available.

With this service you order a test. Then you go to a lab near you. Then you get results. You also get a free doctor consultation.

You can speak with a doctor if your tests are positive. These doctors can prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialist. You can also call any time for a status update. Care advisers are available 24/7 if you have questions.

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 such as the Unity Point Clinic. 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 go to the Cedar Falls Center/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/Cedar Falls Health Center 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. Here are links to resources mentioned above.