Here are four things to know.
1. When a patient tests positive for an STI, one of the department’s disease intervention specialists will ask if they met a partner through a dating or social media app. If so, the specialist asks them to search for the partner’s profile and contact information using their own smartphone or using a county-issued phone.
2. The goal is to identify individuals who may have been exposed to an STI, educate them about disease risks and encourage them to get tested. The department decided to investigate new ways to intervene in STI spread about four years ago, when gonorrhea and syphilis cases increased across the county.
3. The department said it is not violating patient privacy by using dating apps to identify potential exposures, said John Ricci, a spokesperson for the Monroe County Department of Public Health, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. Specialists only reach out to potentially exposed partners to detail STI information and recommendations — they do not share patient health information.
4. Along with this pilot program, the department also uses more traditional approaches to identify those who may have been exposed to an STI. The department’s disease intervention specialists, for example, still investigate telephone contacts of patients who test positive for an infection.
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