摘要：To assess chlamydia testing in women in community health centers, we analyzed data from national surveys of ambulatory health care. Women with chlamydial symptoms were tested at 16% of visits, and 65% of symptomatic women were tested if another reproductive health care service (pelvic examination, Papanicolaou test, or urinalysis) was performed. Community health centers serve populations with high sexually transmitted disease rates and fill gaps in the provision of sexual and reproductive health care services as health departments face budget cuts that threaten support of sexually transmitted disease clinics. Community health centers can serve as a key health care venue for the provision of quality sexual and reproductive health care services for persons in medically underserved communities. They are public or nonprofit, community-directed health care facilities that increase access to care for persons who experience barriers to quality health care, such as their inability to pay, geographic location, or language or cultural differences. 1 With increasing closure of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics throughout the United States, 2 greater provision of STD services in community settings will be important for protecting the sexual and reproductive health of men and women in minority populations with high prevalence of STDs and limited access to care. 3,4 An important STD service is chlamydia testing for persons with symptoms or signs of infection and also for all asymptomatic sexually active women aged 25 years or younger annually, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations. 5–7 An untreated chlamydial infection can result in serious complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, or ectopic pregnancy. 8–10 We estimated the proportion of visits made by women to community health centers, physician offices, and outpatient clinics with a chlamydia screening or diagnostic test.
