The Washington County Health Department recently joined several downtown partnerships to expand essential health care services to Hagerstown city residents.
Every second Tuesday each month, teams from the health department will offer HIV, Hep C and syphilis education and testing at the Community Care Network of Washington County’s event from 4-7 p.m. Multiple agencies come together for these events to provide health, housing, energy, education, employment, aging and family resources at the Washington County Department of Social Services, where the mission is a coordinated care system, dedicated to providing accessible care and services. Walk in for these services at 122 N. Potomac St., in Hagerstown.
“Providing this testing in a location where those in need can walk in, after hours, is an important aspect of our commitment to community health,” says Vicki Sterling, director of behavioral health services for the Washington County Health Department. “We believe in the importance of this community initiative and are eager to contribute to its success by providing these essential services.”
Health department teams have also been holding sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing clinics two Thursdays a month at the Community Health Hub, at Goodwill Horizon’s 200 N. Prospect St. location. The second and fourth Thursdays each month from 8:30-11:00 a.m., free testing for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas and syphilis, as well as pregnancy testing and condoms are available at no cost.
“While we continue to offer a full service, walk-in, STI clinic at the health department – 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. – we are glad that we’ve been able to partner in this venture to provide testing and treatment to individuals in downtown Hagerstown who may have difficulty accessing care elsewhere,” says Dr. Diana Gaviria, medical director and deputy health officer for the Washington County Health Department. “This effort is especially critical at this time, as we have seen sharp increases in STIs, particularly syphilis, in Washington County.”
The next STI testing clinic will take place Thursday, March 14, and the next Community Care Network event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12. Future clinics are included on the events calendar at washcohealth.org and promoted on the health department’s social media pages.
Coverage: Herald-Mail, March 4, 2024
