Ash Wellness and Fulton County Board of Health Address STI/HIV Testing Access Barriers Amidst Nationwide Sexual Health Crisis

Of those participating in the partnership's at-home diagnostics program, 40% had not tested for STIs in more than a year

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ash Wellness, an at-home diagnostics and testing company, today announced new community data from its 16-month-long partnership with Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) in Atlanta, GA on its StopHIVATL campaign. The partnership was established in June 2022 to make sexual wellness testing and prevention services more accessible and inclusive for the Atlanta region.

The sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemic across the United States is increasingly concerning. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis rates increased by 74% from 2017-2021 and gonorrhea rates by 28%. STIs and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) impact the LGBTQIA+ community at higher rates than its cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. Research indicates a quarter of the LGBTQIA+ community postpones or avoids health care for fear of discrimination. Building programs with this community at the center of its design is critical to reducing stigma and empowering individual health care. Studies show that at-home testing initiatives bridge the care gap for LGBTQIA+ community by reaching individuals that often don't have access to care through more traditional means. Together, Ash Wellness and the FCBOH are combating the national STI and HIV epidemics on the community level for LGBTQIA+ patients via free at-home STI/HIV testing services to reach citizens who may not otherwise have access.

In the first year of the program, the FCBOH found that 40% of patients tested had not been tested for STIs the year prior, and 20% of patients had not been tested for HIV in the same period. With a significant sample size of 1,673 program participants, this reveals a larger trend of an ongoing testing gap in the wider Atlanta region. Moreover, a recent report from the CDC that studied five clusters of rapid HIV transmission in Atlanta identified factors that might limit access to HIV services, including language barriers, immigration and deportation-related concerns, and sexuality-related cultural norms. Partnerships like Ash Wellness and the FCBOH's are paramount in addressing these barriers, alongside other providers and community-based organizations. For example, FCBOH also hosts a bilingual bicultural service navigator to connect people to local care.

"As someone who experienced stigma in person, bringing STI and HIV testing to the home is a key approach to empowering patients to take control over their health," said David Stein, CEO and co-founder of Ash Wellness. "Hundreds of people who hadn't been tested over the last year received results, and dozens have been connected to subsequent treatment and care. Every piece of this program was meticulously designed with accessibility in mind, from foolproof kit design and language accessibility, to resource sharing. We're starting small with our fight against a nationwide epidemic, and will continue to support LGBTQIA+ community health at every level."

Since June 2022, the partnership has distributed 1,673 kits with an 18% registration rate (304 kits) and a 15% result rate (261). Of the HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea/chlamydia tests administered, 34% (89) were cataloged as reactive. Each patient with a reactive result was connected to subsequent care and is receiving the appropriate treatment.

"We've all seen the alarming STI and HIV data from the CDC," said Joshua O'Neal, director of the sexual health program for the FCBOH. "Eradicating these epidemics quickly is our top priority, but we must focus on pockets of communities like our own in Fulton County first. Our people need the resources to take control of their own testing experience. Improved global health starts at the individual, and with Ash Wellness, we're making an impact at scale on our city."

For more information including access to the Testing My Way ATL order form, visit this link. Test kits are available for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Testing is free, and representatives from the Fulton County Board of Health will be available on demand to help answer questions or discuss results. In the event of a reactive HIV result, a representative from Fulton County Board of Health will reach out to participants directly to discuss next steps. Additional resources, including accessing treatment and prevention options, are accessible through the patient portal. 

Ash Wellness and the FCBOH plan to continue providing STI and HIV testing to the Atlanta area for the foreseeable future. The partnership is also looking into offering additional health care services, including PrEP enrollment and options for folks living with HIV. 

About Ash Wellness
Ash Wellness is paving the way for more inclusive and accessible health care by enabling and managing at-home diagnostics for the health care community. Founded by a largely queer team to address barriers to health care, Ash Wellness has created a versatile solution that supports health systems, public health institutions, universities, pharmaceuticals, payers, wellness companies and more. Ash Wellness partners have access to a CLIA/CAP-certified lab network in all 50 states, white-label branding capabilities, and 100+ different at-home diagnostic tests. For more information on Ash Wellness, visit https://www.poweredbyash.com.

About StopHIVATL
StopHIVATL is a collaboration between Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, and DeKalb Counties to stop the transmission of HIV. StopHIVATL's mission is to provide resources to people living in the Atlanta area who are affected by the HIV epidemic. StopHIVATL raises awareness of free HIV testing, prevention medication, drug user harm reduction services and treatment available across Atlanta. For more information on StopHIVATL, visit https://stophivatl.org/.

About Fulton County Board of Health
For Georgia's most populous county of over one million residents, the Fulton County Board of Health provides a variety of services that help protect residents from health threats, increase access to health services to improve health outcomes, and provide information that assists Fulton County citizens in living healthier lives. For more information on the Fulton County Board of Health, visit http://www.fultoncountyboh.org.

SOURCE Ash Wellness