In October, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Physicians Comprehensive Care launched a three-month multimedia campaign to promote its free, walk-in STD clinic, open every Monday evening from 4:30 to 8:00 pm.
Funded by a grant, the awareness campaign features targeted messaging to reach individuals in the community who are at a higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases but may be under or uninsured. This includes sexually active men and women age 25 and younger, particularly those who are Black or Latinx, or identify as LGBTQ+.
Through radio and streaming audio ads in English and Spanish; digital ads running on a variety of platforms, including LGBTQ+ dating apps; and posters on buses and bus shelters, LG Health has been actively connecting individuals with available resources. In addition, since summer 2021, Comprehensive Care has run a bilingual internet campaign to reach individuals in our region who are searching for information on STD symptoms and testing. All of the ads direct people to the Comprehensive Care website for more information: LGHealth.org/GetTested.
“Compassion and respect are fundamental to the way we care for patients in our practice,” said Carlos Cornielle, program manager, LGHP Comprehensive Care. “We offer a safe, inclusive environment that is always judgment-free, and we made sure to convey that message in our advertising.”
In addition to free STD testing, Comprehensive Care provides primary care as well as multiple types of specialty care: HIV treatment and prevention, gender-affirming care, and addiction medicine.
“It’s LG Health’s mission to advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve. An important piece of this is addressing the health disparities caused by the marginalization of entire groups of people, like the LGBTQIA+ population. These forces make it harder to receive quality care, and primary care provides an ideal framework for addressing this,” said Patricia Carr Reese, MD, MPH, the Family Medicine physician and HIV specialist who leads the STD clinic.