Forsyth County tops the state in new cases of syphilis.
Health official Patrice Toney explains the county’s incentive program to get people more people tested:
Already this year, Toney and others in the health department have held events throughout the county to encourage people to get tested. Often, they use incentives, such as giving away ice cream to entice people to take a blood test.
She said they will probably join with the state to give away Wal-Mart gift cards as incentives.
Note the groups county officials say are at highest risk for syphilis — prostitutes and gay and bisexual men.
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05
2009 At 10:51 am, clayj Said:
She said they will probably join with the state to give away Wal-Mart gift cards as incentives.
Moronic. If you tell people that they’ll get a Wal-Mart gift card if they take a blood test, you’re going to see a lot of people who know they are healthy come in and take the test just so they can get the gift card.
Here’s a better idea: Free blood tests with no rewards, but if you test positive and accept treatment, then maybe we will give you a reward of some sort… although an honest person would be happy just knowing that they were being cured of a communicable infection.