Alabamians can now take at-home tests for sexually transmitted diseases for free. Alabama’s Department of Public Health and Binx Health have partnered up to provide the confidential specimen collection kits. The tests can detect STDs and HIV. In a CDC report from 2019, Alabama had over 31,000 chlamydia cases and over 14,000 gonorrhea cases in a year. Anthony Merriweather is the Director of ADPH’s STD division. He said STD awareness decreased during the pandemic.
“Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it showed us some deficiencies within our healthcare system, particularly when we had a lot of our providers not being open in order to see patients. So, we thought this was a great opportunity for us to be able to offer this free testing opportunity.”
He is hoping at-home tests can help the state’s STD problem.
“A lot of people do not know their status. By offering this unique opportunity where people can request a free test and do it in the convenience of their own home and mail it in, I think this will increase everyone’s situational awareness of what their STD and HIV status is.”
Alabamians can order a free at-home STD test from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Alabama residents will be able to request one specimen collection and laboratory test kit every three months.