Working Together to Screen & Treat Sexually Transmitted Infections in Youth: the College of Nursing, Juvenile Justice and State Health Department

The purpose of implementing an screening program for Chlamydia (CT) and Gonorrhea (GC) in addition to identifying high risk sexual behaviors was multifold to: diagnose & treat infections; educate youth; mitigate sequela from untreated infections; ensure confidentiality; enable efficient data collection; decrease prevalence of CT/GC; identify high risk behaviors &provide counseling to mitigate; obtain on-going funding for CT/GC screening in the JJ population.

Working Together to Screen & Treat Sexually Transmitted Infections in Youth: the College of Nursing, Juvenile Justice and State Health Department J. Clifton, L. Roberts, H. Ingebretson & L. Hill Purpose . The purpose of implementing an screening program for Chlamydia (CT) and Gonorrhea (GC) in addition to identifying high risk sexual behaviors was multifold to: ● Diagnose & treat infections ● Educate youth ● Mitigate sequela from untreated infections ● Ensure confidentiality ● Enable efficient data collection ● Decrease prevalence of CT/GC ● Identify high risk behaviors & provide counseling to mitigate ● Obtain on-going funding for CT/GC screening in the JJ population. Background  University of Utah CON runs a STI and trafficking screening program in all 18 JJS clinics.  Justice system youth are a high-risk population with many unmet physical and mental-health needs.1  CT &GC in the correctional setting are consistently among the highest observed in any venue. 2  In Utah, over 2/3 of reported CT cases are among persons 15-24 years of age.3  Sex trafficking and sexual violence are serious public health problems.  Justice youth are at high risk for sex trafficking.4 Results 2017 ages 14-17 JJS youth accounted for 11% of all + CT/GC cases among Utah youth. Urine Screened + for CT/GC or both Females Positive Treated in the Facility Treatment Pending N= 4351 423 (9.72%) 73 (17.24%) 360 (85%) 63 (15%) Methods  Over 3 years youth admitted to18 Utah JJ facilities were screened for STI & trafficking risk factors.  Youth meeting criteria had a urine CT/GC screen.  In facility youth testing + were treated.  Contact information for discharged youth testing + was sent to the Department of Health.  Forced sex and sex trafficking were reported to Child Protective Services. Conclusions & Implications  Regardless of circumstances surrounding a youth's incarceration it offers an opportunity to identify and address CT/GC and high risk sexual behaviors.  Justice youth are more likely to have inadequate & inconsistent healthcare, therefore; screening for & treatment of STIs must be a priority for JJ medical staff.  Screening on intake offers an opportunity to educate & treat youth, mitigate sequela & reduce transmission to the broader community.  Screening provides an opportunity to identify high-risk behaviors which can be addressed through intervention and education. Chlamydia - Rates of Reported Cases by Age Group and Sex, United States, 2017 Total Surveyed Forced Sex DMST Sex with stranger Condom Use Never N = 5412 441 (8.14%) 175 (3.23%) 1496 (27.64%) 1492 (27.57) https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/figures/5.htm COLLEGE OF NURSING