As part of a statewide initiative, Planned Parenthood’s Springfield clinic will begin offering free walk-in testing for sexually transmitted infections on the second Wednesday of the month beginning on Sept. 10.
“Planned Parenthood of Illinois believes this ongoing effort is important because the most common symptom of an STI is no symptom at all, which is why testing is so crucial,” the organization wrote in an announcement. “While at the health center they can schedule a wellness visit, make an appointment for birth control or other services and get enrolled in Medicaid.”
Planned Parenthood has three central Illinois locations, including Champaign, Peoria and Springfield. The nonprofit has one southern Illinois location in Carbondale.
The notice announcing the walk-in clinics mentions chlamydia and gonorrhea as “two of the fastest rising STIs in Illinois.”
Sangamon County had the sixth highest rate of gonorrhea and 12th highest rate of chlamydia of all Illinois counties in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The walk-in clinic is for testing only and will not include full examinations of patients. The clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and patients must arrive 45 minutes prior to close.
“STI walk-in clinic testing does not include an exam and can be done either by a urine sample, finger prick, or swab test. Many STIs are curable, and all are treatable,” the announcement reads.
Do you think that Planned Parenthood will upsell the people coming in for gonorrhea treatment?
“I’ve sent that prescription off to Walgreens. As long as you’re here, want to get rid of that pesky baby growing in your womb?”