New York: Chelsea STD Clinic Faulted

A recent report from the city Public Advocate's office rapped the Chelsea STD Clinic on Ninth Avenue as "the least functional" of 10 health department-run clinics surveyed. However, some of the findings could be mitigated by circumstances, the city health department said, pledging to follow up the report.

According to the report, surveyors posed as prospective patients and visited the clinics late on a work day between July 10 and Aug. 10. The surveyors asked about seeing a doctor and undergoing general STD screening and a rapid HIV test.

At the Chelsea clinic, a 3 p.m. visit found no doctor was available; only a standard HIV test was possible; no educational information about STDs was provided; the waiting room was unclean; staff members did not acknowledge new patients; and staff refused to answer basic questions. The cut-off time for a rapid HIV test had just passed, staff told the surveyor, according to the report. However, the report notes 4 p.m. as the health department's stated cut-off time for rapid tests, which must be preceded by the patient completing registration materials.

"If there is a full waiting room and there are 20 to 30 waiting, people will be told that either a conventional test will be done or they could come back at a later date," said Jessica Scaperotti, a department spokesperson.

"The agency is concerned by the report's allegation that the Chelsea clinic lacked clean conditions and friendly, professional staff. The agency will follow up with the Public Advocate's office for more detailed information about this complaint," the health department said in response.

Last year, there were 102,553 patient visits to the city's 10 clinics in Manhattan, and of that number 17,884 were to the Chelsea clinic.

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