Chlamydia, Gonorrhea Test Lab Opens In Chelsea Amid Rise In STIs

CHELSEA, NY — A new rapid testing lab for chlamydia and gonorrhea opened in Chelsea, the city's Department of Health announced Wednesday.

The "Quickie Lab" opened at Chelsea Express within the Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic at 303 Ninth Ave. between 27th and 28th streets. Chelsea Express, which opened last summer, now offers rapid testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea.

The new testing system adds to existing testing for syphilis and rapid testing for HIV, per the DOH.

"With the increase of [sexually transmitted infection] cases nationwide, the Quickie Lab at Chelsea Express is just what the city needs," Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said in a statement. "New Yorkers need welcoming and judgment-free places where they can get rapid testing for STIs. The Health Department is committed to ensuring that all residents have the resources they need to lead safe and healthy sex lives."

The new lab at the Chelsea clinic comes as STI diagnoses in New York City are rising.

Gonorrhea rose by 11 percent between 2017 and 2018, according to preliminary data from the DOH. Chlamydia levels remained stable, the department said.

Primary and secondary syphilis, stages when its most contagious, increased by 9 percent among men — from 1,799 in 2017 to 1,960 in 2018, per DOH. Among women, those types of cases of syphilis increased by 30 percent — from 69 to 90 cases between 2017 and 2018, according to the department.

Congenital syphilis — spread to unborn infants through mothers' placenta— tripled between 2017 and 2018. The DOH released a citywide alert in April, saying all pregnant New Yorkers should be screened for syphilis at 28 weeks of pregnancy.

At the Quickie Lab, patients with no symptoms or an appointment can get tested.

"The Quickie Lab is the most recent product of the community voice that guides our work. Continuing to provide state-of-the art, HIV status-neutral, and patient-centered sexual health services will attract more New Yorkers to use Chelsea Express," Deputy Commissioner Demetre Daskalakis said in a statement.

At the Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic itself, which re-opened in 2017 following renovations, will have additional hours on Saturday, June 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hours at the Chelsea Express facility will be extended during WorldPride too, the DOH announced. Those hours are:

• Thursday, June 27, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Friday, June 28, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday, June 29, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Monday, July 1, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 2, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This article has been updated to accurately reflect testing offered at the clinic. There is rapid testing for HIV and regular testing for syphilis.