Agency
The New York City STD/HIV Prevention Training Center (NYC STD/HIV PTC) was founded in 2015 by the representatives of the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Trading Centers to research STD-related issues and reduce the levels of mortality and STD contraction among teenagers and young adults. Furthermore, the organization is aimed at managing the problems associated with reproductive health among the U.S. population (National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Trading Centers, 2015).
Having established its presence in the environment of the global healthcare system comparatively recently, the organization is rather small. It is currently comprised of four people; the staff members include: Alwyn Cohall, MD; Natalie Neu, MD MPH; Gowri Nagendra, MPH; and April Pavlish, MPH (National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Trading Centers, 2015). However, given the scale of the organization’s mission, further expansion of services and personnel is expected.
As the name of the service suggests, it is located in New York City. Particularly, the facility can be found in Queens, NY 11101-4132 (42-09 28th Street, CN #73) (National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Trading Centers, 2015). However, the agency also offers its assistance to the residents of other states, including Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio. Furthermore, the residents of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands may also receive the services provided by the organization. To register as a participant of the program, one will have to call 646-284-9733 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. The official site of the organization that supports the program is at website.
Although the members of the campaign pursue a noble cause, there has not been enough coverage of the subject matter in media. Apart from issuing regular news reports on their site, the members of the service do not engage in any kind of promotional activities. Therefore, a Facebook campaign or the use of any other social media is strongly recommended to attract people’s attention to the issue and encourage them to engage in the discussion, the process of spreading awareness, and the support of people with STD.
At present, the goal of the organization is not set within any specific time limits. Furthermore, the number of people whom NYC STD/HIV PTC seeks to assist in managing the related issue has not been specified. Therefore, the scope of the program can be deemed as rather broad, hence the lack of any specific deadline. It can be assumed, though, that, once the appropriate media tools are utilized, at least 5% of people affected by STD and living in the New York area can be supported.
Problem
Despite the recent spur in the development of IT and the enhancement of the global communication process, a significant amount of young people still lacks information about preventing and managing STD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017b). Particularly, the levels of syphilis contraction have recently risen among the US population, especially the representatives of the American youth (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017a). Therefore, there is a need to maintain the levels of awareness high among teenagers and young adults so that they could be able to develop the appropriate behaviors, as well as identify the available information resources and use them appropriately to retrieve the necessary information.
As the chart above shows, the LGBT community is currently affected most, yet the rest of the members of the US population are also in peril. Awareness must be built so that people could not only develop the necessary behaviors and avoid the scenarios that lead to SD contraction but also be able to receive the required services and information whenever they need. NYC STD/HIV PTC members strive to create the environment in which active information management and knowledge sharing through the tools provided by social media could contribute to a rapid increase in awareness levels.
It is especially important to find a way to speak to the target audience (i.e., teenagers and young adults) in the way that they will find convincing. Therefore, nurses must be provided with the training sessions that will enable them to speak to the target population. Furthermore, the significance of STD consultations should be emphasized to the members of the target communities. Herein lies the second goal of the organization; NYC STD/HIV PTC strives to increase the level of proficiency and competence among US nurses so that they could offer patients, as well as all those concerned, the services of the appropriate quality. Thus, focusing on healthcare quality improvement is the next objective of NYC STD/HIV PTC.
Tools
When considering the tools that can help shed light on the issue of STD prevention and management among patients, one will have to consider social networks first. There is no secret that social media has become the most efficient means of raising awareness and spreading information among the target population. Therefore, it is reasonable to use the power of social networks in the healthcare environment as well. By embracing the opportunities that social media provides, healthcare experts will be able to promote active knowledge acquisition on the level of a community, thus, making sure that not only patients but also the members of their families should be able to contribute to the creation of the environment in which the further acquisition of the relevant knowledge becomes a possibility. As a result, patients’ independence can be promoted. Furthermore, the target population can be taught the foundational principles of self-care, which will, in turn, lead to a gradual improvement of their understanding of their needs.
The use of the services of an educator nurse should be considered another tool for addressing the lack of awareness among the community members and the promotion of the program among them. While the use of social media does allow embracing a significantly wide population, it can also be described as rather uncontrollable. Therefore, the introduction of orderliness into the system of the target population’s knowledge must be considered a necessity. An educator nurse (EN) will provide consultations to all those interested in the subject matter and offer further guidance in developing the necessary behaviors.
Furthermore, it is expected that the use of ENs’ services will help introduce a patient-centered approach into the program. Consequently, the quality of services is expected to improve gradually. To be more specific, ENs will help identify the unique needs of specific population groups based on their ethnicity, culture, social and economic background, etc. Consequently, the tools that can be used to raise awareness among them and compel them to follow the suggested behavioral models will be identified and applied successfully. As a result, a significant drop in the levels of STD among the target population, which will be the primary measurement tool, is expected.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Primary and secondary syphilis – distribution of cases by sex and sexual behavior. (2015).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017a). April is STD awareness month. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017b). Join CDC in tackling the dangerous return of syphilis. Web.
National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Trading Centers. (2015). New York City STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. Web.