The Philadelphia Department of Public Health was among three winners that will receive a shared total of 500,000 condoms. It plans to distribute them in a new program for men who have sex with men.
The National Coalition of STD Directors, a sexual-health nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., in partnership with Trojan condoms, announced the condom donations June 29. It’s part of a campaign called Condoms (Still) Work. State health departments in Iowa and Oklahoma also received the free condoms.
Each nominee had to submit a video entry to be considered. Health workers in Philadelphia’s video said the city has the fourth-highest rate of chlamydia among large cities in the United States, and third-highest rate of gonorrhea. They also noted the prevalence of condoms in services for people who are living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
The condoms donated to Philadelphia will go toward a new initiative called Do You, Philly that promotes sexual health for men who have sex with men. The health department launched it June 12.
“It helps us get this program off the ground,” said Caitlin Hoffman, communications and policy coordinator with the health department. “These resources are hard for health departments to sustain and we know Trojan condoms are what this community wants.”
Do You, Philly targets men, especially those of color, who are between the ages of 13 and 29. Participants can request up to 20 condoms a month, and anal or standard lube by visiting www.doyouphilly.org. They can also request free STI tests to be mailed to them or set up an appointment for a health professional to visit their home to perform a blood test for syphilis.
Funding for the program comes from the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, part of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The program is expected to continue indefinitely.
At a panel hosted this month, Coleman Terrell, acting director of AACO, said his agency spends about $200,000 a year on condoms.