Care Connection Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of the Care Connection Newsletter!

We're excited to bring you the latest news, information, and resources related to HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis prevention and treatment.

These newsletters will feature new recommendations for sexual health services, best practices for improving patient health outcomes, highlight stories from the field, describe current epidemiologic trends and so much more. We'll highlight tools and resources for prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment of HIV, STIs and Viral Hepatitis.

Thank you for being part of the Care Connection, and we hope you find this newsletter informative and engaging.

Incorporating sexual health into whole health can enhance preventive care, promote healthy sexual functioning, and optimize overall health and well-being. Assessing sexual health can give providers important information about a patient’s health, well-being, goals, and overall identity, including their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Collecting SOGI information as part of a sexual health assessment would allow providers to address problems that drive disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and similar minority (LGBTQ+) populations. In addition to helping providers better understand their patients’ values, sexual health assessment provides information that may not come out during a standard clinical assessment.

Comprehensive Sexual Health History Template | Interval Sexual Health History Template

CDC’s Together TakeMeHome Free HIV Self-Test Kits Program
Together TakeMeHome is a national direct-to-consumer program that offers free HIV self-tests by mail. People can order up to two free HIV self-tests every 90 days. Tests are available to anyone 17 or older, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.

CDC supports this program in partnership with other organizations. They also offer resources health centers can use to promote self-testing as part of their “Let’s Stop HIV Together” initiative.

In North Dakota, self-test kits are available thanks to the NDDHHS's partnership with binx health. More information is available here.

Postcards for informing North Dakota patients of this program are available to order.

CDC has developed draft guidelines on the use of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline (Doxy PEP) for preventing some bacterial STIs. Beginning Monday, October 2, the agency will request public input on the draft. Comments can be shared for 45 days on Guidelines for the Use of Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Prevention. An informational presentation about the draft guidelines is available online.

For more information, click here.

Clinical STI Update 2-Day Mini-Series | November 15-16, 2023 9:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
The STI Clinical Update Series is a two 1/2-day didactic course that provides registered participants with training in the most recent advancements in epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of viral and bacterial STIs. Clinicians from any states are welcome to attend. CME/CNE is offered for this class.

TOPICS INCLUDE (subject to change):

Sexual History Taking & Assessment- Lenka Cech, CNM- no disclosures
Update on Chlamydia & Update on Gonorrhea -Hillary Liss, MD- no disclosures
Update on DoxyPEP- Chase Cannon, MD, MPH-Roche Diagnostics- advisory committee (ongoing)
Update on Syphilis Epidemiology & Treatment- Tara Reid, MD, PhD-no disclosures

Mitigation was completed; the relationship(s) disclosed were determined not to be relevant.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe the latest clinical and lab diagnostic and testing procedures for the infections covered.
List the current recommended treatments, follow-up, and prevention messages for the infections covered.

After registering online, you will receive an email - at least one week before the course - with complete course details including instructions for accessing the webpage associated with this course.
For more information and registration, click here.