|
Institutions Able
to Reach At-risk Populations |
Barriers |
Hinds Co
MS
|
Schools
Religious institutions
Health Department
|
White flight and inner-city deterioration
create conditions of crime and drug use and hinder efforts to build
city-wide coalitions to address public health problems. Local conservative
views about public discussion of sexual health limit direct involvement
of key community institutions like churches, schools, and the media.
Some African-American clients avoid seeking care at public health
clinics due to feelings of mistreatment, stigma, and embarrassment.
Clinic staff attitudes, some clinic procedures, lack of awareness
of services, and programmatic funding restrictions also contributed. |
Humphreys Co
MS
|
Schools
Religious institutions
Health Department
|
Access to health care is limited in most
of this rural county, and residents of small towns avoid seeking
treatment for STDs in local clinics because of stigma, embarrassment,
and concerns about confidentiality. Many African-American residents
feel that public health staff treat them disrespectfully when they
report to clinics with STDs such as syphilis. |
Richland Co
SC
|
Health Department
Other health care providers
Drug treatment centers
Schools
Religious institutions
Correctional facilities
Housing authority
Community-based organizations
|
Like other sites, insensitivity by STD
clinic staff toward clients hinders treatment seeking, especially
among African Americans. Discussion of sexual health is left up to
individual school districts to implement, and conservative local
standards constrain realistic discussions of risk factors and often
limit mention of sexual options other than abstinence. |
Orangeburg Co
SC
|
Health department and other health care
providers
Schools
Religious institutions
Community-based organizations
|
Mistrust of public health STD clinics,
especially among African Americans, is a barrier to treatment seeking
in Orangeburg County. Orangeburg's location between two urban areas
makes contact tracing by DIS difficult because of the widespread
network of sexual partners. |
Shelby Co
TN
|
Health department
Schools
Religious institutions
Community-based organizations
|
Confusion over health care access due
to the introduction of TennCare hinders treatment seeking in Memphis.
Strict limits on the hours DIS are allowed to work hinders their
ability to carry out contact tracing/partner notification efforts.
Long lines in the STD clinic waiting room discourage some people
from seeking treatment. Emphasis on treatment over prevention and
lack of a unified STD message also contribute, as do some clinic
fees and procedures. |
Tunica Co
MS
|
Health care providers
Schools
Religious institutions
Community-based organizations
|
Preventive health care is a low priority
among African-American residents in Tunica. Concerns about confidentiality
and embarrassment in this small rural town keep people from seeking
care for STDs. |
Montgomery Co
AL
|
Schools
Religious institutions
Health care providers
Community health centers
Housing authority
Community-based organizations
|
The inordinate amount of time Public Health
Reps spend doing paper work, the lack of available computers, and
limited clerical staff all hinder their ability to follow up on contacts
in the community or to deliver preventive health education. The strict "medical
mode" followed by the county Health Department draws efforts
away from prevention activities. Programmatic funding restrictions
may mean patients must visit different providers for different services.
Strong conservative influences severely limit the discussion of sexual
health issues in the public and private school systems. |
Lowndes Co
AL
|
Schools
Religious institutions
Health care providers
Community health centers
Housing authority
Community-based organizations
|
A lack of available transportation in
this very rural county limits the ability of people to seek treatment
for STDs. Stigma, embarrassment, and questions about confidentiality
also hinder treatment seeking. A lack of recreation contributes to
the high rates of unprotected sex with multiple partners among teenagers. |