MCHD is a one-stop Valentine's Shop

Feb. 14, 2024

By Mary Wade Burnside

Unless you visit our vending machine or Clinical Services’ secret stash, chocolate is not one of the services provided by at Monongalia County Health Department.
Still, we have a lot to offer for those contemplating the approach of Valentine’s Day on Wednesday.
These days, the holiday that celebrates love usually entails romance, dinner at a nice restaurant or a cozy evening at home.
At MCHD, we’re here to help, whether it’s through free and low-cost birth control and free STI testing and treatment; restaurant inspections for those who want a romantic dinner for two; radon testing for those who want to Netflix with their significant other; and Botox and chairside teeth whitening at MCHD Dentistry.
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 illustration that you respect yourself and your partner.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2022 STI numbers last spring, and while there are occasional dips, they are on the rise again. While chlamydia is down 6.2% overall since 2018, it’s trending upward. In that same period, gonorrhea has gone up 11.1%; syphilis is up 78.9% and congenital syphilis — when it’s passed to a baby during birth — is up 183.4%.
Getting tested for STIs and using condoms during sex are both good ways to help get those numbers down.
Another service provided by MCHD Clinical Services is birth control. MCHD offers 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. For many individuals, birth control is free or low-cost.
The health department can help 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 Botox and chairside tooth bleaching.
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.
And MCHD Dentistry now offers Boost tooth whitening by Opalescence. Instead of using white strips at home every day for an hour, the patient spends 20 minutes in the chair and walks away with pearly whites that are several shades lighter after one treatment.
Finally, when it comes to those dinner 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. And in case you want to get a spiffy new Valentine’s tattoo of, say, a cupid holding a bow and arrow, you may be interested to learn that tattoo studios are also on the inspection schedule.
Environmental Health sanitarians also conduct radon testing. It’s good to know your radon levels. For the rest of February, you can take advantage of our radon testing special of $85, down from $125.
These are just some of the ways Monongalia County Health Department can enhance your Valentine’s Day.
For appointments, call MCHD Clinical Services at 304-598-5119, MCHD Dentistry at 304-598-5108 and MCHD Environmental Health at 304-598-5131.

Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.