BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - In 2023, Louisiana Public Health Region 2, stretching from Ascension Parish to Point Coupee Parish, reported 2,266 new gonorrhea cases and 6,387 chlamydia cases: a slight decrease from the previous year. Despite this decline, community advocates at the McKinley High Alumni Center highlight that stigma surrounding testing and education remains a significant barrier to addressing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

“We want to address those needs, knock down those barriers. We’re here to serve our community,” said Shirley Lolis of Metro Health.

Metro Health organized a community meeting alongside the Community Associations Institute (CAI) at the McKinley High Alumni Center to discuss why STDs remain prevalent in the metro area and to explore potential solutions.

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