A project launched by the National Association of County and City Health Officials found that collaborative partnerships between health departments and local pharmacies can be an effective way to expand STI care and treatment. NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of STD Prevention, funded efforts at five local health departments to create partnerships with pharmacies to expand STI services and care. Each project focused on the testing and treatment of different STIs and the implementation of different kinds of services. Multiple NCPA members participated as project sites.
NACCHO suggested that health departments consider leveraging partnerships with pharmacies to decrease barriers and increase access to STI testing and treatment through multiple modalities. However, successful implementation requires active engagement in process development with pharmacists and champions as well as public outreach and advertising to raise the visibility of these services.
The final report explores collaboration models and tools to implement partnerships; you can read it here.
