The Marathon County Board of Health will continue to partner with the Aspirus Wausau Family Medicine and provide HIV/STD screening to county jail inmates.
John Robinson, County Supervisor and Board chair, said the program is keeping the county’s requirements of ensuring inmates are healthy. According to Robinson, the board believes the program is making a significant and positive impact on the area and will continue to do so.
The Health and Human Services Committee will now review the recommendation.
Robinson said the program also offers education to inmates on how to protect themselves, the various treatments available and the vaccinations offered. He said the program goes beyond the requirements the county has imposed on people who test positive for an STD and looks to decrease the speed at which the diseases spread.
The Health Board said more than 210 inmates had been tested for STDs in 2017, with 176 tested for HIV. These numbers have been climbing the past three years.
The county’s budgeting process is evaluating the program’s effectiveness.
Written by Mark Riegel, MD
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