Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services will be at Mid-Missouri PrideFest this weekend – offering STI testing, education and a new rapid test that checks for both HIV and syphilis.
Tracey Bathe, the prevention and investigation manager at the health department, said the health department’s been tabling at PrideFest for years.
“We just want to be there to support and give information to not only the people who we have served for years, and years and years, but youth coming up, and who may not have the information,” Bathe said.
She said the will be offering the new rapid test alongside the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services both Saturday and Sunday during PrideFest.
“Some people may choose not to do the testing at Pride,” Bathe said. “And they may choose just to take some information and we're happy to test them when it's the right time for them.”
The health department offers STI testing five days a week and rapid HIV testing on Thursday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at its office on West Worley Street.
The health department will be offering additional services on Saturday – including health assessments from the Health on Wheels van, Narcan education and mpox vaccinations.
