In honor of STD Awareness Month this past April, NCSD provided a shipment of condoms to the Center for MultiCultural Health in Seattle, WA.

The Center for MultiCultural Health is an incredibly valuable resource for many communities of color across Seattle. Providing HIV and STD testing, as well as linking patients to systems of care, the organization fills many community needs and provides critical outreach to some of the most underserved populations. In Seattle, African Americans make up about 7.7% of the population, but account for 13% of new HIV cases, with black MSM comprising 23% of all MSM living with HIV in Seattle. The Center for MultiCultural Health’s African American Testing Program prioritizes black MSM when providing HIV testing and linking the population to PrEP education and resource navigation. Additionally, the center also has Insurance Navigators that help men and women without healthcare insurance access the medical care they need.

Because the organization is often the first place many LGBTQ people of color seek out services, they have a hard time maintaining ample supplies of condoms. These donations of condoms will go a long way in providing a critical tool for HIV and STD prevention within these communities. It is our hope that the Center for MultiCultural Health uses this donation to continue their amazing efforts in testing for HIV and STDs, preventing their spread, and linking adversely effected communities to the care they need.