TriCounty Health Department is sharing the good, the bad, and the risky when it comes to sexual health. While there are benefits to having sex, like improved heart health and lower blood pressure, TriCounty Health Director Jordan Mathis explains that there are also consequences when not engaged in responsibly. Risky behaviors include having more than one partner, changing partners frequently, not using appropriate protection, and using unreliable methods of birth control. The TriCounty Health District has the highest rate of teen pregnancies in the entire state with 34.3 adolescent births per 1,000 adolescent females. STDs are also a growing problem locally. Chlamydia is the most common in the TriCounty District, explains Mathis, who urges locals to take advantage of testing and treatment at the health department. The test for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea is $25 each and the treatment if positive is free. HIV testing is normally $35 but is free for the next 2 weeks. For more information, visit
www.tricountyhealth.com
.
