{"id":17437,"date":"2026-02-13T15:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17437"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:41:11","slug":"love-safely-this-valentines-day-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/love-safely-this-valentines-day-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>February 13, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact: <\/strong>Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, <a href=\"mailto:bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov\">bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Get Free Condoms from Richmond and Henrico Health Districts<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>RICHMOND, Va.<\/strong>\u2013 It\u2019s no coincidence that Valentine\u2019s Day is also National Condom Day! One of the simplest ways to show you care is to protect the health of those you love. Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) provide free condoms to support safer and healthier sexual relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Valentine\u2019s Day is often associated with flowers, chocolates, and dinner dates. RHHD reminds you that protection should also be part of the plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing a condom is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your sexual health,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director Elaine Perry, M.D. \u201cWhen used correctly, condoms are highly effective at preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis and HIV. Add condoms to your list when you are picking up flowers and chocolates. Let romance include protecting your sexual health and your partner\u2019s!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Virginia STI Data<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) remain a serious public health concern in Virginia.\u00a0 More than 54,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Virginina-2024-Sexually-Transmitted-Infection-Surveillance-Report.pdf\">STIs were reported in Virginia in 2024<\/a>. The increase in syphilis diagnoses among women is of particular concern. The rate of newly diagnosed syphilis cases among women <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Syphilis-VA-STI-Report-2024.pdf\">increased 144%<\/a> from 2020 to 2024. For the same time period, newly diagnosed syphilis cases among all genders increased 117% in Richmond City and 65% in Henrico County.<\/p>\n<p>Cases of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/syphilis\/about\/about-congenital-syphilis.html\">congenital syphilis<\/a>, when a pregnant person passes syphilis to a baby during pregnancy or childbirth, increased for the fifth straight year in Virginia. In 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/Congenital-Syphilis-VA-STI-Report-2024-Accessible.pdf\">35 cases of congenital syphilis<\/a> were reported among newly born infants, the highest case count observed in more than 30 years in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where to find free condoms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Because many STIs, including syphilis, often show no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/sti\/about\/index.html#cdc_disease_basics_symptoms-signs-and-symptoms\">symptoms<\/a>, you can spread them without knowing it. Using condoms consistently and correctly is an effective way to reduce the risk of STIs and unintended pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>The Virginia Department of Health distributes condoms statewide through its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/disease-prevention\/partneragencies\/\">Condom Distribution Program<\/a>, which is designed to reduce HIV and other STIs through free access to protection.<\/p>\n<p>Free condoms are available at RHHD and through community partner organizations. Call 804-205-3500 to locate free condoms nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Organizations interested in becoming distribution sites should contact the HIV-STD Hotline Supervisor at <a href=\"mailto:HIV-stdhotline@vdh.virginia.gov\">HIV-stdhotline@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>. Participating organizations may order up to 100,000 condoms per year.<\/p>\n<p>RHHD can also help you decide if medicine to prevent HIV (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/disease-prevention\/prep-and-npep\/\">PrEP<\/a>) or STIs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/220\/2024\/02\/DoxyPEP-Factsheet-for-Patients.pdf\">DoxyPEP<\/a>) is right for you. Call 804-664-2125 to get started.<\/p>\n<p>Make this Valentine\u2019s Day a night to remember, not a diagnosis you want to forget.<\/p>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\">rhhd.gov<\/a> for more health and safety information. Follow RHHD on Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em># # #<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 13, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day Get Free Condoms from Richmond and Henrico Health Districts &nbsp; RICHMOND, Va.\u2013 It\u2019s no coincidence that Valentine\u2019s Day is also National Condom Day! One of the simplest ways to show you care is to protect the health of those you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1536,1512,196,768,1535,682,1513],"class_list":["post-17437","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-condom-distribution-program","tag-condoms","tag-dr-elaine-perry","tag-elaine-perry","tag-national-condom-day","tag-richmond-and-henrico-health-districts","tag-valentines-day"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/love-safely-this-valentines-day-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"February 13, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, 804-807-1727, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; Love Safely This Valentine\u2019s Day Get Free Condoms from Richmond and Henrico Health Districts &nbsp; RICHMOND, Va.\u2013 It\u2019s no coincidence that Valentine\u2019s Day is also National Condom Day! 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