As sexually transmitted infection clinics run by city health departments lag behind those funded by state or federal agencies on various measures of the integration of services for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, there is considerable room for improvement on many counts in both types of clinics, MedPage Today reports.

Between 2013 and 2014, researchers surveyed 311 local health departments and 56 city health departments (50 of these were funded by states; the other six were funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of STD Prevention). Findings were published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The researchers found various differences between state and local health departments’ STI clinics that were statistically significant (meaning the differences were not likely driven by chance). Between the state and local clinics, a respective 94.1 percent and 46.7 percent conducted on-site visits to HIV care providers; 92.3 percent and 58.4 percent targeted their prevention activities to high-risk populations; and 73.1 percent and 16.1 percent matched STI case report data with HIV data to analyze how the epidemics overlapped and potentially affected each other.

The CDC investigators also found various differences between state and local STD clinics that were not statistically significant, meaning the differences could have been driven by chance. For example, a respective 39.4 percent and 25 percent conducted field testing for HIV for the sexual contacts of people testing positive for STIs. The researchers identified this as an area for improvement, while arguing for the overall “service integration and coordination” of HIV testing in such clinics.

To read the MedPage Today article, click here.

To read the CDC report, click here.