For your convenience, we have provided a list of
commonly asked questions to help assist you in understating the Partner
Notification Services.
Your information is very secure.This web site is secured by VeriSign SSL certificates.
There is a professional DIS that specializes in notifying people who have or
might have STDs. This is an actual profession that has been around in the US for
over 50 years. The worker is known as a Sexually Transmitted Disease
Intervention Specialist or DIS for short. These are caring and dedicated
professionals who are highly trained in the area of STDs and partner
notification and they operate under strict standards of confidentiality. The DIS
receives intense training on how to discreetly notify people of positive STD
tests, and those who were exposed to STDs. The DIS takes his work seriously and
will go to great extents to protect your confidentiality and privacy while doing
the contact notifications. The DIS is specially trained to motivate people to
get tested and to discuss medical management of contacts to STD with doctors, so
the contacts get the recommended testing and treatment. The DIS is knowledgeable
of all different lifestyles, and can do his job smoothly in any social, cultural
environment. It is critical that you get to know your DIS during this process to
make sure that it goes smoothly and is thorough and effective.
Well, you can BUT there are major pitfalls to doing it this way. Here are a few.
There is no guarantee that the partner(s) will take action. Often the STDs don’t
cause symptoms trigger confusion and discredits your efforts. You immediately
lose your anonymity when you conduct partner notification. This may
not be an issue for some, but for others it is a serious consideration. Partner
violence is another possibility. People sometimes get angry when STDs enter
their lives and reactions can get out of hand. So by working through this web
site and in hand with your DIS you have a much better chance to avoid these
pitfalls. Again these are issues that your DIS is aware of and can provide you
some tips on.
Good question! ALL sex-partner(s) within a specified period need to be notified,
examined and maybe treated to stop the spread. False assumptions are very
dangerous and could result in the chain of infection starting all over again.
Consult with your DIS about which of your contacts need to be referred.
Depending on which STD you have you may need to refer your partner(s) from
thirty days back from the date you got treated, to up to a year or more. You
will be given some suggestions on this when you enter the confidential section
of this site. Don’t make assumptions about who gave you the STD or to whom you
could have passed the STD.
No. The DIS is specially trained to deal with questions about who requested
public DIS assistance in doing the notification. The worker is strictly
prohibited from giving that information or any clues about who provided
information. We think this is the most important rule in maintaining the success
of the partner notification process. Your name will not be given out to anyone.
That’s the rule, and that’s the law. There is a chance that your contact will
confront you about being the one who requested a DIS contact them. This is not
unusual and you should be prepared to respond however you think is best for your
situation. Being confronted is especially likely if the one notified had only
you as a sex partner. There are ways to deal with that confrontation. Consult
with your DIS. She/He can coach you on some responses to possible confrontation
that will meet your situation.
No problem. As long as your partner(s) are in the US we can arrange for a
specially trained DIS where that person lives to do the notification. Our DIS
can forward your request to the right area to get the notification done. Not
only that, but the person being notified will not be told that the information
came from the Houston area. That policy is necessary to protect your anonymity.
If your contacts don’t live in the US, we may be able to get international
follow-up depending where they live. Discuss this with your DIS for specifics.
Here is the straight scoop on this issue of the steady partner. This is a real
sticky issue for many people. Fear of losing the relationship and support that
goes with it is real. The fact is though, that your steady partner could very
well be in the chain of infection related to your STD and must be notified. If
your steady got infected they will find out sooner or later, likely later when
you are re-infected or your steady gets seriously ill from letting the disease
linger. Your steady must be told out of interest for their health. Failure to
notify your steady and get them the proper medical care might be a huge mistake
that you will regret later on. Talk to your DIS on how to best do this
notification to ease the impact.
The Provider code helps to confirm that you are a real person with a specific
STD. This is necessary to maintain the accuracy and integrity of this process.
Referring contacts for medical assessment is very serious and may result in that
person getting a variety of medical tests and medications. Therefore your
information has to be confirmed through the PIN. Begin the self-interview in the
secure site
