Acceptability and feasibility of urine screening for Chlamydia and gonorrhea in community organizations: perspectives from Denver and St Louis

Perspectives From Denver and St LouisPersons at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) face barriers in gaining access to health services, including limited understanding of the structure of the services, lack of insurance, and distrust of providers.Novel STD-screening diagnostics, including DNA amplification techniques for screening urine for chlamydia and gonorrhea, no longer require invasive sampling procedures, so screening can be carried out in nonclinical settings.STDscreening programs in schools and community settings using these techniques have been successful; however, many such programs involve health department staff conducting infrequent or one-time screening campaigns.The long-term sustainability of STD screening outside of traditional clinical settings, including partnerships with community organizations, has not been demonstrated; however, the importance of research in this area has been recognized.Denver, Colo (population 494 462), and St Louis, Mo (population 396 685), are 2 of the 7 sites that participated in the first phase of a multisite effort entitled the Gonorrhea Community Action Project (GCAP), whose goal was to inform the development of interventions to increase health seeking for populations at risk for STDs.GCAP was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health.Researchers in Denver and St Louis conducted pilot studies on the feasibility of involving nontraditional public health partners-community organizations that serve at-risk populations but do not provide STD prevention services-in STD screenings.Both cities have strong STD programs at the local health department level.The results suggested 3 models for partnership between public health and community organizations.