Health Promotion Stis And Community Resources - 1847 Words

Health Promotion: STIs and Community Resources According to www.healthypeople.gov/2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there are approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) every year with almost half of them being diagnosed among young adults ages 15 to 24. The financial impact of these commonly transmitted diseases on the healthcare system is estimated to be as high as sixteen billion dollars annually. Often times these cases of sexually transmitted diseases go unreported and undiagnosed. For example, the cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis that are reported may only represent a small part of the true influence these infections truly have on our nation’s healthcare system†¦show more content†¦The tool will also be directed to at risk patients who may be seeking information after a possible exposure to an STI. The projected outcome of this project will be to better educate this at risk age group of young individuals about the dangers of unsafe sexu al practices as well as provide them with the necessary resources to treat these infections and prevent them from spreading. Finally, this tool will provide resources to help prevent the contraction or spread of STIs. According to healthypeople.gov/2020, the spread of STIs in a community can be directly attributed to social, economic, and behavioral factors. Such factors may cause serious obstacles to STI prevention due to their influence on social and sexual networks, access to and delivery of care, willingness to seek care, and social norms regarding sexuality. Among certain vulnerable populations, historical experience with segregation and discrimination exacerbates the influence of these factors (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Peoria County, where my hospital is located has a large population of low socio economic patients, which are at a greater risk of contracting STIs through risky sexual behavior and lower educational awareness of these diseases. In 2013, the rate of Chlamydia in Peoria County was 1.7 times greater than the rate of Chlamydia in the United States with some zip codes within the county being 4.9 times greater than the