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Sexual Wellness

Goal

The goal of our Sexual Wellness Program is to reduce the spread of STDs in the community. The City of York Bureau of Health is pleased to announce the opening of our Sexual Wellness Clinic. We have partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health in providing a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) to conduct examinations and treat certain Sexually Transmitted Infections. Please call the office for more information related to testing, procedures, treatment, and appointments at (717) 849-2299.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

    Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are infections transmitted through sexual contact. Left untreated, STDs can spread and can result in pain, sterility, and disseminated infections throughout the body and cause serious complications for newborn infants.

    Factors that complicate this situation are the existence of antibiotic-resistant STD strains, absence of symptoms for some of the stages of infection, lack of community awareness, reluctance to use condoms, and the expense of some tests and treatment and lack of timeliness of testing and reporting. Under-reporting of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia cases also makes tracking those diseases difficult.

    The Bureau of Health, upon receipt of a report of an STD case, investigates the report to verify diagnosis and treatment. In certain cases, the Community Health Nurse or Disease Intervention Specialist will interview the patient to identify and notify sexual contacts and to provide education to prevent further infection.

    The Bureau of Health procedures follow the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health quality assurance guidelines for treatment and investigation of case reports.

    The Bureau of Health provides FREE diagnosis and treatment services of STDs for all city residents.

    Staff are available to community groups, schools, clubs, etc. to talk about STD prevention and awareness. Contact the Albert S. Weyer Health Center for more information.

    Albert S. Weyer Health Center
    Phone: (717) 849-2299

HIV/AIDS

  • What is HIV/AIDS?

    Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV to reach this stage even without treatment. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, they have AIDS.

  • Sexual Wellness Program

    The Bureau of Health provides free, confidential, and anonymous HIV-antibody testing, counseling, and partner notification. The Health Bureau also conducts education for high-risk individuals, general public, and health care providers. When a city resident is diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, a Community Health Nurse or Disease Intervention Specialist is assigned to follow-up with that individual to provide case management and support. Bureau of Health staff provide a holistic evaluation of the individual and a corresponding treatment plan.

    Personal Health Services staff work with patients and the community to reduce the spread of HIV infection. Activities include:

      • Conducting field visits and interviewing HIV/AIDS patients to determine the source of infection, verify treatment, and provide a follow-up, prevention information, and education
      • Providing HIV-antibody testing and counseling
      • Providing counseling, partner notification, immunizations, and community service networking to those individuals testing HIV positive
      • Providing education/outreach to high-risk individuals, general public, and health care providers
      • Tracking HIV/AIDS morbidity in the City of York in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Health

    For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/hiv/ or call the Bureau of Health at 717-849-2299.

Additional Information for Specific STDs

Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis HIV

Additional Information for HIV/AIDS

  • Risk Factors

    HIV Risk Factors

    You may be at increased risk for HIV infection if you have:

      • Injected drugs or steroids, during which equipment (such as needles, syringes, cotton, water) and blood were shared with others
      • Had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex (sex without using condoms) with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners
      • Exchanged sex for drugs or money
      • Been given a diagnosis of, or been treated for, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis (TB), or a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) such as Syphilis
      • Received a blood transfusion or clotting factor during 1978–1985
      • Had unprotected sex with someone who has any of the risk factors listed above

     

    How HIV Is Not Transmitted

    HIV is a fragile virus. It cannot live for very long outside the body. As a result, the virus is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.

     

    How HIV Is Transmitted

    HIV is primarily found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid of an infected person. HIV is transmitted in 3 main ways:

      • Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV
      • Sharing needles or syringes with someone infected with HIV
      • Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding

    HIV also can be transmitted through blood infected with HIV. However, since 1985, all donated blood in the United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk for HIV infection through the transfusion of blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered among the safest in the world.

     

    Preventing Transmission

    Your risk of getting HIV or passing it to someone else depends on several things. Do you know what they are? You might want to talk to someone who knows about HIV. You can also do the following:

      • Abstain from sex (do not have oral, anal, or vaginal sex) until you are in a relationship with only one person, are having sex with only each other, and each of you knows the other’s HIV status
      • If both you and your partner have HIV, use condoms to prevent other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and possible infection with a different strain of HIV
      • If only one of you has HIV, use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex
      • If you have, or plan to have, more than one sex partner, consider the following:
          • Get tested for HIV
          • If you are a man who has had sex with other men, get tested at least once a year
          • If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant or who is pregnant, get tested as soon as possible, before you have your baby
          • Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex
          • Learn as much as you can about each partner’s past behavior (sex and drug use), and consider the risks to your health before you have sex
          • Ask your partners if they have recently been tested for HIV and encourage those who have not been tested to do so.
          • Use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex
          • If you think you may have been exposed to another STD such as Gonorrhea, Syphilis, or Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection, get treatment. These diseases can increase your risk of getting HIV
      • Even if you think you have low risk for HIV infection, get tested whenever you have a regular medical check-up
      • Do not inject illicit drugs (drugs not prescribed by your doctor). You can get HIV through needles, syringes, and other works if they are contaminated with the blood of someone who has HIV. Drugs also cloud your mind, which may result in riskier sex
      • If you do inject drugs, do the following:
        • Use only clean needles, syringes, and other works
        • Never share needles, syringes, or other works
        • Be careful not to expose yourself to another person’s blood
        • Get tested for HIV test at least once a year
        • Consider getting counseling and treatment for your drug use
      • Do not have sex when you are taking drugs or drinking alcohol.  Being high can make you more likely to take risks.

     

    For more information about HIV risks and transmission, visit www.cdc.gov/hiv/ or call the Bureau of Health at 717-849-2299.

  • Counseling and Testing Services in York

    The only way to know whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV. You cannot rely on symptoms alone because many people who are infected with HIV do not have symptoms for many years. Someone can look and feel healthy but can still be infected. In fact, one quarter of the HIV-infected persons in the United States do not know that they are infected.

    HIV Testing

    Once HIV enters the body, the body starts to produce antibodies—substances the immune system creates after infection. Most HIV tests look for these antibodies rather than the virus itself. All HIV tests approved by the US government are very good at finding HIV.

    FREE and confidential HIV testing and counseling are available in York County at the following locations:

    York City Bureau of Health
    Alber S. Weyer Health Center
    435 W. Philadelphia St.
    York, PA 17401
    (717) 849-2299
    Call for an appointment

    York State Health Center
    1750 North George Street
    York, PA 17404
    Phone: (717) 771-4505
    Call for an appointment

    Family First Health
    116 S. George St.
    York, PA 17401
    (717) 846-6776
    **Walk-ins accepted Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM and may call for holiday hours (Rapid HIV testing only)

    Planned Parenthood of Central PA
    728 S. Beaver St.
    York, PA 17403
    (717) 845-9681

    Call for testing times.

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