In 2019, changes in payer reimbursement allowed Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to enhance multi-site testing across its six Santa Clara County health centers. Also known as extragenital testing, multi-site testing means screening different parts of the body to ensure diagnosing a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) is not missed as it might have been were the patient only been screened at one site. This method has proven to be more effective for diagnosing and treating STIs overall. This critical work was made possible through a grant from the Health Trust, under our Making Chronic Conditions More Preventable and Manageable focus area.
In an effort to reduce alarming rates of STIs and HIV, during the 12-month grant period, PPMM screened 66,412 individuals for STIs and 1,020 individuals for HIV through multi-site testing. In addition to providing critical STI and HIV screenings, PPMM wrote 948 prescriptions for PrEP and PEP, both treatments to prevent HIV transmission. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medication people at risk for HIV take to prevent contracting HIV. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a treatment to prevent HIV after a possible exposure. It is intended to be used only in emergency situations and must be started within 72 hours after a recent possible exposure.
While the Health Trust’s investment focused solely on PPMM’s six Santa Clara County health centers, as a result of the protocols and training established with the grant, PPMM scaled multi-site testing throughout its affiliate region, impacting patients at all 35 of its health centers in mid-California and Northern Nevada.
This strengthened capacity positions PPMM to better meet the health needs of its patients by providing this critical service in Santa Clara County, and beyond. Their work builds health equity by removing barriers to access and affordability – work made even more urgent as COVID-19 continues to ravage our most under-resourced communities.
“We know that the people we serve, many of whom were already living on an economic knife edge, have been hit hard by COVID-19” explains PPMM Grants Manager, Becky Levine. “As unemployment increases, we are seeing new patients come to our health centers to access the care they need.”
Now more than ever, it is pivotal that safety-net service providers who supply a lifeline to our most vulnerable, like PPMM, are properly equipped to meet the increased community needs.
The Health Trust is proud to support the work of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. PPMM provides an array of health services including reproductive care, pediatric and adult preventive primary care services, preventive screenings for diabetes, colon cancer, cholesterol, and hypertension, STI testing and treatment, additionally, several sites provide Gender Affirming Care. If you are interested in learning more about PPMM and its services, please visit www.ppmarmonte.org.