A new sexual health tool to reach the people you serve
Who We Are
Check Yourself is the first ever HIV/STI At-home, self-collect testing initiative developed by, for and in partnership with Public Health Departments. NCSD partnered with a commercial laboratory that manufactures and supplies testing kits that are simple to use, confidential collection providing comfort and flexibility to the patient to test wherever they feel comfortable.
Built into the Check Yourself program is an automated notification system where patients receive reminders via email communication throughout the use of the platform that alert them where they are in the process that include completion of account, collection of samples, returning of test kits and accessing results. The Check Yourself program helps mitigate common barriers to care by addressing common themes:
• Accessibility: Eliminates transportation concerns by offering an option to mail order a kit
• Affordability: Variation in testing available at no cost
• Confidentiality: A Toll-Free lab line is available for sample collection assistance
• Privacy: A Sample collection video, Instructions for UPS pick-up of sample collection are available resources to the patient
Why Check Yourself?
Check Yourself has served as a service solution to meet patients where they are and supports public health departments, sexual health clinics and other health service entities capacity to uptake asymptomatic testing despite public health challenges that emerge. The NCSD team provides participating sites at no cost communication materials, one-on-one technical assistance, training, fiscal management, and reporting assistance.
Here are ways the platform supports public health programming:
• In clinic setting (e.g., test of cure, screen exposed partner(s) including current and prospective PrEP users)
• Targeted community outreach/mobile van testing
• Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Workflow
• State-wide/Social Media Testing Campaign
• Timely follow-up and Treatment: LetsGetChecked Care team places up to Three (3) outreach phone calls (at no cost) to the patient notifying them of their abnormal result and support for next steps. Mail order prescription
• Treatment for Chlamydia and Trichomoniasis is available through the programming.
• Case Finding: Fully integrated electronic lab reporting (ELR) to state and local health jurisdiction surveillance systems in real time
• Optimizes the patient’s medical journey and experience: The service empowers patients to be advocates of their own healthcare and flexibility to test that extend beyond clinical hours
The standard kit:
Tests for:
• HIV (I, II, P24 antigen)
• Syphilis (EIA)
• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Trichomoniasis
What’s included:
• Sample collection instructions (English and Spanish
• Blood Collection Tube
• Four (4) Lancets
• Band-aids, Gauze & Alcohol Swabs
• Urine Collection Cup, Tube and Pipette
• Biohazard Bag
• Poly Mailer Bag with Prepaid UPS Return Label
*HIV and Syphilis EIA are Fingerstick, Whole Blood Microtainer
*Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis screening is Urine Only
Simple 2:
Tests for:
• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
What’s included:
• Sample collection instructions (English and Spanish
• Urine Collection Cup, Tube and Pipette
• Biohazard Bag
• Poly Mailer Bag with Prepaid UPS Return Label
*Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis screening is Urine Only
Basic 3:
Tests for:
• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Trichomoniasis
What’s included:
• Sample collection instructions (English and Spanish
• Urine Collection Cup, Tube and Pipette
• Biohazard Bag
• Poly Mailer Bag with Prepaid UPS Return Label
*Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis screening is Urine Only
Hepatitis C:
Tests for:
• Hepatitis C antibodies
What’s included:
• Sample collection instructions (English and Spanish
• Blood Collection Tube
• Four (4) Lancets
• Band-aids, Gauze & Alcohol Swabs
• Urine Collection Cup, Tube and Pipette
• Biohazard Bag
• Poly Mailer Bag with Prepaid UPS Return Label
What's New?
Phlebotic Assistant (PA) Device
The PA device is an FDA approved device designed to increase blood pooling at the user’s fingertip to ease the process of capillary blood collection (fingerstick)The studies have shown to help users collect more blood (70%) and perform the task with ease (63%), with an observed 3-minute reduction in collection time. The PA device can be included as part of the test kit built for the Standard 5 and Hepatitis C test kits.
Patient Activated Kits
The patient activated kits are a new workflow introduced into the Check Yourself programming to alleviate staff capacity to distribute test kits from in clinic to large high-volume outreach events. The user activates the test kit for themselves by logging to an activation page. There is no staff involvement in the activation process of a kit.
New Test Sites Available
Three site testing (Pharyngeal, Rectal, Vaginal) for the detection of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea including a PrEP screening panel to screen current and prospective users of PrEP. The three site testing swabs can be built into the testing kits at additional cost. Stay tuned for more information!
Ordering what works for your organization
Health departments, community-based organizations, and other health servicing entities can contract directly with NCSD to participate in the Check Yourself program. We can help you determine the appropriate workflow(s) and test kit(s) to choose from based on your programmatic needs.
When you contract with NCSD, you will be provided with marketing materials to promote home collection services, one-on-one technical assistance, training, fiscal management, and reporting assistance.
Other supportive features offered through the platform at no additional cost include:
• Shipping of test kits
• Portal access for providers ordering test kits and viewing results
• Overnight shipping of sample collections to the laboratory
• Automated reminder notification systems to the patient
• Care Team outreach attempts to the patient for abnormal results
About Check Yourself
NCSD’s Check Yourself initiative is a public health partnership with LetsGetChecked, a virtual care company and commercial lab located in Monrovia, California. LetsGetChecked allows customers to manage their health from home, providing direct access to telehealth services, pharmacy, and laboratory tests with at-home sample collection kits for a wide range of health conditions including Sexual Health, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Thyroid, Coronavirus (COVID-19), and more. The Check Yourself program allows health departments to more easily and efficiently bring the LetsGetChecked lab directly to patients at no cost to them, making STI testing more comfortable and accessible.
About NCSD
NCSD is a national public health membership organization representing health department STD directors, their support staff, and their community-based partners across 50 states, seven large cities, and eight U.S. territories. We provide leadership, build capacity, convene partners, and advocate. For more information, visit www.ncsddc.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Standard 5 test is suitable for asymptomatic individuals interested in routine screening. Additionally, the Standard 5 test is useful for partners of individuals with positive STI test results. We recommend that all individuals who are experiencing STI-related symptoms follow-up with a health care provider or sexual health clinic as soon as possible.
LetsGetChecked has a team of board-certified physicians who have created expert support materials and detailed result breakdowns for your testing journey. Our nursing team is on standby throughout the testing process and, if you test positive, you will receive a call to discuss your results.
Additionally, our Clinical Care Team is available to members, comprised of nurses and physicians who are specially trained to review results, provide guidance for positive and inconclusive results, and answer any other questions members may have regarding their test results. All Positive and Inconclusive results receive a call from a LetsGetChecked nurse.
LetsGetChecked prioritizes the privacy and security of all information we process on behalf of our customers and is committed to complying with all applicable privacy laws and regulations, including sectoral and state privacy laws. This includes maintaining a group-wide privacy and security program that is aligned to the requirements of privacy laws, where they apply to us.
Customer specific details such as name, address, date of birth, email, phone number, etc. are fully anonymized on a user account should they request their data to be deleted.
LetsGetChecked has its own CLIA/CAP/BSL II certified high complexity laboratory for processing infectious disease samples and this will ensure that received samples are analyzed to meet the required turnaround time. The accuracy of tests carried out on all samples obtained following the instructions for use (provided within each test kit), mirrors the accuracy of tests carried out in a doctor's office or hospital, as the same analytical protocols are used. Our laboratories carry the highest level of local accreditation, they are CLIA and CAP-accredited.
