International Community Health Services - ICHS | Seattle

STI testing, treatment, and prevention

ICHS provides low-cost, rapid sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment for patients of all ages. Walk-in, same-day, or scheduled appointments for STI testing and treatment are available at any of our primary care clinics. Call us to schedule a visit.

Know your status! People between the ages 15 and 65 should get tested for HIV at least once in their life. At your next visit, ask your provider if an HIV screening is right for you.

Do you know about medications to prevent HIV?

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It's a pill or injection you can use to reduce your chances of getting HIV if you are HIV negative. It helps before you're infected, so HIV can't settle into your body and spread. If taken as directed, your level of protection is around 99 percent.

Anyone interested in protecting themselves against HIV is eligible for PrEP. If you need help paying for PrEP because you don’t have insurance or have high copays, our team is here to help and can provide access to PrEP for free in most cases.

Even if you’re using PrEP, it's still important to protect yourself and your partner(s) against other STIs by using condoms, getting tested regularly, and having open communication with your partner(s). Safe sex kits, which include condoms and lubricant, are available for free at all clinic sites.

ICHS’ health educators are ready to answer any questions you have about testing, treatment, and prevention of HIV and other STIs. Email us for more information.

• Want more information about PrEP? Click here to learn more.
• Ready to schedule a visit to start PrEP? Call 206.788.3700 to get started. You can see a provider, pharmacist, or nurse to talk about starting PrEP.

Have you heard about DoxyPEP?

ICHS also offers DoxyPEP, which is short for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis. It's a medication taken after having sex without a condom to prevent the transmission of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. DoxyPEP does not prevent HIV, hepatitis, Mpox, or pregnancy.

Consider DoxyPEP if you were assigned male at birth and:

• Have tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis) in the last 12 months
• Have had oral or anal sex without a condom with a partner assigned male at birth

Although current research has shown that DoxyPEP is only effective for people assigned male at birth, we know that people who haven’t had a recent STI or were assigned female at birth may still be interested in DoxyPEP. If you think DoxyPEP might be right for you, please schedule a visit with your provider.

Can vaccines protect me against STIs?

Yes! ICHS offers routine vaccinations for the whole family, including vaccines to prevent STIs such as:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, throat cancer, and anal cancer
  
• Hepatitis A and B, which can cause a viral infection of the liver