Dr. Kenneth A. Katz, MD, MSc, MSCE is a physician working in public health. He is a board-certified dermatologist, an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University, and an Associate Member of the National Coalition of STD Directors.
Kaiser Permanente makes it incredibly challenging for gay men to get the STD tests they need, hurdles that help fuel the spread of STIs in our community – including HIV. This is especially troubling at a time when new antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea have emerged.
It’s time to start taking gonorrhea prevention and control more seriously, before we end up – like the Black Knight – without a leg to stand on.
A recent study on LGBT healthcare in Wisconsin underscores the importance of passing a proposed law in California to improve the health of its LGBT residents. In doing so, California can teach Wisconsin a thing or two.
It’s rare that my MSM patients know which STDs they ought to be screened for, and how often. Men who have sex with men don’t get screened often enough for diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV.
A public relations debacle for a new class of syphilis tests is unwarranted, and really just a case of bad spin.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is a giant roadblock in the middle of the typical “ask” and “tell” encounter that’s absolutely essential to the effective practice of medicine. Don’t we owe it to our men and women in uniform, who are called on to sacrifice so much for us every day, to make sure we’re doing our part to protect their health?
