News Release

April 10, 2009

OHCA Contact: Jo Kilgore, Public Information Manager, (405) 522-7474.

Recent Syphilis Outbreak Increases Need for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing

In light of the recent outbreak of syphilis in central Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority sees the need for more Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) testing and family planning services.

Through SoonerPlan, a family planning program, uninsured men and women who are not enrolled in a regular SoonerCare service and are age 19 and older, can benefit from such services as office visits for the purpose of family planning and STD testing. Members who are covered on this program can choose any contracted SoonerCare provider of their choice.

Services include: birth control information and supplies, laboratory tests related to family planning services, including pap smears and STD testing, office visits and physical exams related to family planning, pregnancy tests for women, tubal ligations for women age 21 and older, and vasectomies for men age 21 and older.

“This outbreak heightens the need for uninsured men and women to seek the services and benefits of SoonerPlan,” said Dr. Lynn Mitchell, state Medicaid director for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. “These days, the vulnerability of teens is tested more and more. They need to know how to protect themselves against STD infections, such as syphilis. With SoonerPlan, they can learn how to avoid and properly take care of such occurrences.”

Syphilis is a curable bacterial infection that is primarily spread through sexual contact. If left untreated, syphilis can cause damage to major organs, principally the brain and blood vessels; it can also cause serious birth defects.

For more information, please visit the OHCA Web site at www.okhca.org/soonerplan, or call the SoonerCare Helpline at 1-800-987-7767.

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