MCHD has you covered for many of your Valentine’s Day needs

Feb. 11, 2025

By Mary Wade Burnside

Sure, you can’t buy chocolates at Monongalia County Health Department. Unless you count the M&M’s and Reese’s Cups in the vending machine.
Still, MCHD has several programs that can help you prepare for the holiday that takes place Friday, celebrating love and togetherness.
The health department is almost a one-stop Valentine’s Day shop.
At MCHD, we’re here to help, whether it’s through our free and low-cost birth control and low-cost STI testing and treatment; our restaurant inspections for those who want a romantic dinner for two; our radon testing for those who want a cozy night at home; and Botox and chairside teeth whitening that are offered at MCHD Dentistry.
And if you’ve been contemplating a heart tattoo or a cupid holding a bow and arrow to celebrate your love, if it’s in Monongalia County, that studio has been inspected by an MCHD sanitarian.
At MCHD Clinical Services, our nurses are friendly, non-judgmental and approachable, which is very important when it comes to sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment as well as birth control consultations.
Keep in mind that many STIs are easily treatable with antibiotics if caught early and could otherwise go on to cause fertility and other health issues, some of which can be quite serious.
There is no shame in getting tested for STIs. In fact, consider it a gift to your valentine, the ultimate act that shows you respect yourself and your partner.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported STI numbers in 2020, the change from 2016 was mostly bad news. Although chlamydia cases were down 1.2%, gonorrhea cases were up 45% and syphilis, which hadn’t been in the forefront for years until recently, was up 52%.
What’s also troubling about the latter is that congenital syphilis, when the infection is passed on to a baby during pregnancy, was up 235%.
Updated figures from 2023 show a decrease in gonorrhea, an increase in syphilis and a stabilization of chlamydia.
Getting tested for STIs and using condoms during sex are good ways to help get those numbers down.
When it comes to birth control, we offer so many kinds that during a visit, a nurse can prescribe from a large list of options, including those that come in the form of a pill, a shot, a patch or a ring or more. Of course, condoms are also available, as is emergency contraception. In fact, not uncoincidentally, Feb. 14 is also the first day of National Condom Week, for all who celebrate and observe.
For many individuals, birth control is free or low-cost at Monongalia County Health Department.
MCHD can be helpful in other areas as well. For instance, a nice smile greatly enhances your Valentine’s Day outfit, and MCHD Dentistry can take care of those needs, from regular checkups, same-day crowns, and chairside tooth bleaching.
Not only is MCHD the only health department in West Virginia with a full-service dental office, but we’re probably the only one that offers Botox as well.
There is a therapeutic use for Botox in addition to decreasing wrinkles on your forehead and reducing the appearance of crow’s feet — it also can be used to treat the masseter muscle to help reduce teeth grinding. At MCHD Dentistry, we offer Botox for both therapeutic and cosmetic care.
Finally, when it comes to dining plans, remember that all Monongalia County establishments are inspected on a regular basis by MCHD Environmental Health sanitarians.
MCHD Environmental Health inspects many other facilities as well, such as hotels, motels and pools. Our sanitarians also conduct radon testing. It’s good to know your radon levels, including for a cozy, romantic night in.
And if all this romance eventually leads to a baby, MCHD WIC offers nutrition and breastfeeding help to qualifying pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers and children up to the age of 5.
Call 304-598-5100 for more information or check out our website at monchd.org. And Happy Valentine’s Day!
Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.