Tag: sti testing

New Year, New You: Central Shenandoah Health District Encourages a New, Healthier You in 2026

December 30, 2025
Media Contact: Rachel Dumene, Rachel.dumene1@vdh.virginia.gov, 540-480-4998

New Year, New You: Central Shenandoah Health District Encourages a New, Healthier You in 2026

STAUNTON, Va. – Ring in the New Year and focus on becoming healthier. The Central Shenandoah Health District (CSHD) wants to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions by offering simple, sustainable habits for a year of health and wellness.

Here are some tips to help you be healthier in 2026:

  • Get Active: In Virginia, over 30% of adults are obese. Try to move more and sit less. Take the stairs when you can. Find fun ways to be active, like walking or doing yoga. Aim for about 150 minutes of exercise each week.
  • Eat Well: Eat more foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Drink lots of water. Eliminate sugar and junk food/limit alcoholic drinks.
  • Manage Stress: Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Try mindfulness or meditation. Spend time with friends and family, manage your stress, and maybe write in a journal.
  • Schedule Screenings: Visit your doctor and dentist for regular checkups and screenings. Drink enough water and wash your hands often to stay healthy.
  • Quit Smoking: Now is a good time to quit bad habits. Smoking and vaping can hurt your body, so it’s best to stop. Quit Now Virginia is a free service that helps people quit smoking, using tobacco, or vaping.

The Central Shenandoah Health District offers a variety of programs to help residents achieve their health goals, including: STI testing, vaccine appointments, Quit Now Virginia, and free health screenings throughout the district.

CSHD wants you to keep working on your goals to build healthy habits this year. If things don’t always go as planned, be kind to yourself and keep trying. Do things that make you happy and take care of yourself.

Let’s make becoming healthier a priority in 2026! If you have questions, reach out to the Central Shenandoah Health District at cshdinfo@vdh.virginia.gov.

Let’s make health a shared goal!

Mount Rogers Health District Launches Mobile Units to Expand Health Services

July 1, 2025
Media Contact: Brianne Kilbourne, Mount Rogers Health District 276-781-7450

Mount Rogers Health District Launches Mobile Units to Expand Health Services

MARION, Va. — Local officials, health professionals, and community partners recently gathered at Marion Senior High School to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of two new mobile health units that will bring essential services directly to communities across all eight localities of the Mount Rogers Health District.

The two mobile units were funded through a multi-year grant from the Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) and represent a collaboration between all eight localities in the district as well as the Mount Rogers and Highlands Community Services Boards. The partnership to obtain the motorized vehicles mark a major step in addressing the region’s ongoing challenges related to substance use, behavioral health, and access to care.

“These units enable us to meet people where they are, especially in areas where transportation, stigma, or scheduling conflicts have made it difficult for individuals to access traditional clinic services,” said Dr. Meagan Helmick, Health Director for the Mount Rogers Health District.

Each mobile unit will be jointly staffed by the Mount Rogers Health District and Community Services Board personnel and will provide a wide range of services, including:

  • HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, and STI testing
  • Harm reduction services (naloxone distribution and fentanyl/xylazine test strips)
  • Immunizations
  • Hepatitis C treatment
  • Mental health and substance use counseling
  • Psychiatric medication management
  • Referrals and wraparound case management

The region served by the Mount Rogers Health District has long faced elevated rates of substance use disorder, hepatitis C, poverty, and overdose burden compared to the rest of the state. In 2021 alone, the eight localities represented had a combined economic burden from opioids of nearly $96 million. The mobile units reflect a data-driven, community-informed response that emphasizes prevention, education, and connection to care.

Since the recent launch, health officials continue to refine operations as they learn during each stop. The program aims to be both responsive and sustainable, with services billed through existing clinical systems and continued pursuit of additional grant opportunities.

“This is just the beginning,” said Dr. Helmick. “We are deeply hopeful about what this can mean for individuals and families across our region.”

To learn more about the mobile units, including the staff and schedule for each, visit www.MRHD.org and click on “Integrative Health Servies-Mobile Unit.”

Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Expand PrEP Program

February 24, 2025
Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov

Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Expand PrEP Program

RICHMOND, Va. —Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) announce the expansion of its pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program. PrEP is a medication that reduces a person’s chances of getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

“We can’t forget how far we’ve come with medications and treatments,” said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts PrEP Coordinator Bernard Stackhouse. “Working in PrEP gives me hope that with a combination of prevention and treatment, we can end the spread of HIV. We have the tools, and we have to get people to use them. Education helps people overcoming barriers that prevent people from taking their medication.”

PrEP is for adults and adolescents without HIV who may be exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use. PrEP may also be an option to help protect pregnant people and their babies from getting HIV while trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding. Pregnant people should talk to their doctor to find out if PrEP is right for them.

RHHD restarted new patient PrEP intake in October 2024 and now offers PrEP services at its Henrico East Clinic and Cary St. Clinic. Virginia residents who want to know if PrEP is right for them should call the RHHD PrEP team at 804-664-2125 and leave a voicemail. The team will return voicemails within two business days. PrEP appointments are available at the following times:

Cary St. Clinic
400 E. Cary St.
Mondays and Wednesdays: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 to 4 p.m.
Fridays: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.		 Henrico East Clinic
1400 N. Laburnum Ave.
Thursdays: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Community members can visit rhhd.gov/sti-hivservices or call 804-205-3501 to learn more about RHHD’s sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services.

Most insurance plans and state Medicaid programs cover PrEP. Financial assistance is available through Medicaid and the Gilead Patient Assistance and Co-pay assistance programs. Patients with no insurance who are not eligible for Medicaid will continue to receive PrEP at no cost (if income requirements are met).

The following RHHD community partners also offer STI testing services:

  • Nationz Foundation 804-716-7597
  • Minority Health Consortium 804-225-0820
  • Health Brigade 804-358-6343 ext. 2145
  • CrossOver HealthCare Ministry 804-655-2794

Virginia residents can search for HIV testing providers near them at rhhd.gov/VA-HIV-testing. Virginia and Maryland residents can request a home HIV test by mail through this form: rhhd.gov/HIVhometest. For more information about HIV testing in Virginia, please visit rhhd.gov/VDH-HIV-info. Community members can also visit gettested.cdc.gov to find a testing site anywhere in the U.S.

For more health and safety information, please visit rhhd.gov and sign up for RHHD’s monthly newsletter at rhhd.gov/news.

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Central Shenandoah Health District Announces New Walk-In STI Testing at the Harrisonburg Rockingham Health Department

February 14, 2024
Media Contact: Linda Scarborough, Western Region PIO
linda.scarborough@vdh.virginia.gov

Central Shenandoah Health District Announces New Walk-In STI Testing at the Harrisonburg Rockingham Health Department

(Staunton, Va.) — Beginning February 20, the Central Shenandoah Health District will offer Test & Go clinics at the Harrisonburg Rockingham Health Department every third Tuesday of the month. Test & Go clinics offer after-hours walk-in testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) once a month. Individuals can receive free testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV at these clinics. Testing is available to everyone at no cost. Patients can expect to be in and out of the clinic in 15 minutes or less.

Dates and times for the Harrisonburg Rockingham Health Department Test & Go Clinics are below:

  • February 20, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
  • March 19, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
  • April 16, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
  • May 21, 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Walk-in appointments are available on a first-come-first-served basis. The earlier the arrival, the better the chance a patient will secure a testing spot. Patients will be accepted until 6 p.m. or until 10 testing spots are taken, whichever comes first. Individuals are encouraged to arrive by 5:30 p.m. to secure a testing spot. Individuals who receive a positive test result will be contacted by health department staff to get connected to treatment options.

“The Harrisonburg Rockingham Health Department Test & Go clinics are a great resource for any individual who is sexually active and needs access to STI testing,” says Elaine Perry, acting health director for the Central Shenandoah Health District. “Rates of STIs have increased significantly in the past several years in Virginia and nationally, so it is more important than ever to know your status.” It is recommended that anyone who has been exposed to an STI or has symptoms seek STI testing.

Routine STI testing and treatment is available at the Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro Health Department locations. Appointments for routine testing and treatment are required. Call your local health department to make an appointment.

More information about Test & Go clinics and routine STI testing and treatment can be found on the Central Shenandoah Health District website at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/central-shenandoah/health-services/sexually-transmitted-infections/.