Formalizing Partnerships: How Regional Coalitions in Sexual Health Can Address the Sexually Transmitted Infection Epidemic

Background: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates continue to increase nationally, with more STIs diagnosed outside of traditional STI clinics. Collective impact groups that harness the power of collaboration among diverse community stakeholders have had demonstrated success in supporting local efforts in HIV prevention and addressing specific community gaps. We describe the efforts of 2 jurisdictional collective impact groups, the St. Louis STI Regional Response Coalition (STIRR) and the Denver Metro STI Coalition (DMSC), to combat their regional STI epidemics. Methods: Both STIRR and DMSC serve multiple counties (STIRR, 12; DMSC, 5) and have diverse member organizations including health departments, academic medical and community health centers, and community-based organizations (STIRR, 25; DMSC, 22). They also have a broad membership base (STIRR, 50; DMSC, 107). Coordination of these groups is supported by state and institutional funding as well as by staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regional STI Clinical Prevention Training Centers. Results: Outcomes from the STIRR and DMSC include assessments of client STI services, consultation on health department STI data dashboards, development of regional prevention strategies, dissemination of standards of care and best practices for providers, and collaboration with local HIV prevention Fast Track Cities Initiatives. Products to support health care staff and community members in STI prevention and care are posted on each group's website. Conclusions: Both STIRR and DMSC demonstrate the feasibility of using the collective impact model to address jurisdictional STI epidemics. Expansion of community engagement and sustained funding are needed to fully realize the potential of such collaborative groups in addressing the US STI epidemic.