Success Of Philadelphia's STI Screening Program For High School Students 'Good News,' Editorial Says

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 02 Apr 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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Philadelphia's public health officials "should be commended for their success" in implementing a "bold" program in 2003 that offers no-cost screening for sexually transmitted infections to high school students, a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial says. According to the Inquirer, the "aggressive and innovative" program has "become a model for other cities," including New York City, Baltimore and Los Angeles.

Cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia in the city have declined 8% since 2003. Health officials credit the decrease to the testing and treatment program, which offers no-cost, voluntary and confidential screening at high schools, as well as other locations, including health care centers, family planning clinics and the city's juvenile detention center, the editorial says. The program tests about 20,000 teenagers in public schools annually and provides STI education to at least 30,000 high school students, Melinda Salmon, program manager for the health department's STI Control Program, said.

The results "give credence to the belief that abstinence-only education just isn't enough," according to the editorial. "Of course, educators and health care professionals must remain vigilant in trying to further reduce" STI cases, the Inquirer says, adding, "But what's happening in Philadelphia is good news" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/29).

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