Affirm Hosts Syphilis Prevention Training, Directly Addressing Arizona’s Rapidly Rising Rates
On Aug. 19, Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health and Valley of the Sun United Way co-hosted a syphilis prevention training for partners and clinicians to learn more about how to address Arizona’s alarming rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis. The training was open to 80 attendees with unlimited virtual capacity for attendance.
As Arizona’s Title X grantee, Affirm is acutely aware of the rapid increase of syphilis across the country, but specifically in Arizona. Syphilis cases have increased at a rate of nearly 450% since 2015 and congenital syphilis, syphilis passed down from a birthing person to the fetus, has spiked to one of the highest rates in the country.
Affirm is leading the effort to heighten awareness of this epidemic. This training is a critical step towards taking direct action and broadening the scope beyond Title X clinics to focusing on risks, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment with clinicians and partners statewide as well as to brief clinicians of the new recommendations issued by the CDC for enhanced screening efforts in high prevalence areas, like Arizona.
“If we are really going to move the dial on congenital syphilis in Arizona, we have to be looking at the whole picture,” said Karen Martinot, Director of Programs and Clinical Administration, Affirm.
Affirm was recently awarded the Maternal Health Impact Mini-Grant from the Reproductive Health National Training Center (RHNTC) and two other grants to bring other stakeholders on board and multiply Affirm’s syphilis prevention efforts.
For additional resources to address syphilis, check out the RHNTC’s new Syphilis Resource List.
