Looking at an agency's website will provide more information about the place before you call them or go there. www.StartHerestl.org Visit the Start Here website for more information about the organizations listed as well as additional updated listings.

Background Rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including chlamydia and gonorrhea are increasing in the United States while public health funding for STD services is decreasing. Individuals seek care in various locations including the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study is to investigate whether there are more physically proximal clinic-based STD care locations available to individuals who present to the ED in a major metropolitan area. Methods Addresses of EDs, clinics, and patients 13 years or older in St. Louis City or County given a nucleic acid amplification test and assigned an STD diagnosis (n = 6100) were geocoded. R was used to analyze clinics within 5 radii from the patients' home address and assess missed clinic opportunities (open, no charge, with walk-in availability) for those living in an urban versus suburban area. Results In urban areas, 99.1% of individuals lived closer to a clinic than the ED where they sought STD services; in suburban areas, 82.2% lived closer to a clinic than the ED where they presented. In the region, 50.6% lived closer to the health department-based STD care location than the hospital where they presented. Up to a third of ED patient visits for STD care could have occurred at a clinic that was closer to the patient's home address, open, no charge, and available for walk-in appointments. Conclusions Clinic availability is present for most of the individuals in our study. Clinics providing STD services can increase advertising efforts to increase public awareness of the services which they provide.

Large sporting events potentially increase the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other communicable diseases due to prolonged close contact and socializing with nonhousehold members. 1 Although rigorous evidence is lacking, requiring face masks, restricting eating/drinking, reducing spectator capacity, encouraging physical distancing, and reserving space between groups of ticketed seats are strategies that attempt to reduce transmission risk. However, even when face masks are required, spectators' mask-wearing behavior may be inconsistent. To support public health efforts in reducing disease spread and venues' preparations for future events during COVID-19 or other epidemics, this study quantified spectators' mask wearing during a high-profile national sporting event.Methods | We conducted repeated cross-sectional aggregated counts of public face mask wearing during the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I men's basketball tournament, March Madness, in Indianapolis, Indiana, from March 30 to April 5, 2021. Spectators' maskwearing behavior was observed at 5 games in a large indoor stadium limited to 22% capacity. The venue, county, and state had mask requirements. Signage and speaker announcements encouraged mask wearing, physical distancing measures, and empty seating between groups. Ushers enforced compliance.At multiple points during each game, 6 trained observers collected counts of masking behavior at entrance gates, concession areas, arena seating, upper-deck seating, and exit gates. Observers counted all spectators aged 2 years and older, stratified by sex (based on the observers' best visual estimate of age and sex). At observation, spectators were classified as correctly masked when following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines (ie, a cloth face covering or disposable surgical mask that covered the mouth and nose, including the

Objectives To estimate the prevalence of public mask-wearing in various settings through direct observation. Self-report mask-wearing is susceptible to recall bias and a desire by respondents to appear socially responsible. Direct observation of public behavior does not face such limitations and can provide differentiation between correct and incorrect mask-wearing. Methods Trained observers recorded public behavior between 11/01/2020-12/31/2020 at 37 sites across Marion County, Indiana. For each individual observed, data collection staff recorded a status of “masked,” “non-masked” or “partial mask.” “Masked” was defined as the presence of any cloth face covering or surgical mask that covered the mouth and nose, including the nostrils, and extended below the chin. “Non-masked” was defined as the complete absence of a face covering, a face covering that was worn only below the chin, a face covering held in a hand, a face covering hanging off an ear, or a face shield only. “Partial mask” was defined as the face covering only over the mouth or over the nose, but not both, or the nose being partially covered with the nostrils somewhat or fully visible. Results 80% of adults wore face masks correctly and an additional 9% were partially masked. The prevalence of mask-wearing was lowest in outdoor spaces (54%) as well as in small retail stores (58%). Higher rates of mask usage were observed at large organizations like grocery stores and “big box” retailers (84%), shopping malls (85%), civic and government sites (86%), or higher education settings (88%). Mask-wearing was more common among females (84%) than males (76%); males had a higher percentage of partial mask-wearing. Conclusions While public health professionals and agencies encourage universal mask-wearing in public settings, observed levels may still be sufficient to reduce the spread of COVID-19.