CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When it comes to things like STD testing, not everyone may have access to resources they need, or they might even lack a way to get to a clinic that could help them.
However, a new service that's rolling out is hoping to change that for those living in rural areas.
A mobile clinic will be going around the Coastal Bend to test people for things like HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis. They're also going to be able to talk with drug users about how to overcome their addiction.
"This is an opportunity for us to meet individuals where they're at in a comfortable environment," said Allison Johnson of the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation. "It reduces the stigma for people who may be afraid to come into an office."
"It is really critical to meet patients where they're at out in the community," said Kevin Hensley of the City-County Public Health District. "People don't always have time to come into the health district."
There are a few of the growing reasons why the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation is putting that mobile testing van into operation. Statistics are from the Public Health District show that in Nueces County, from 2017 to 2018, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphillis cases are up. There were nearly 500 more cases of these STD's reported in 2018 than 2017.
That is why health officials are applauding the mobile clinic project, which will allow people to be tested and get their results a few minutes later.
Another big plus that the program offers is that the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation will provide treatments in-house and will go over the recovery process. This is all to ensure that the patient has access to the resources they need to get them back to being healthy and to try and keep the spread of the diseases to a minimum.
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