“Unfortunately our state doesn’t fund comprehensive sex education in a way that we should,” he said. “We have to ensure people have the education and primary preventative health care followed by access to testing and treatment.”

The region continues to be challenged by the closure in 2013 of low-cost clinic ConnectCare, which provided thousands of STD tests each year.

A few new campaigns were offered in the last year, including 4,000 safe-sex kits from Planned Parenthood that were passed out in bars the night before Thanksgiving, a popular social occasion for young adults.

In September, the St. Louis city and county health departments held a free STD testing event that included raffles for free tickets to a Beyoncé concert.

But access to health care and prevention services remains a problem in the region.

St. Louis qualifies as a “condom desert” according to a recent study from St. Louis University. There are fewer stores that sell condoms in the city compared with other areas, and more barriers that make them difficult to get.

Condoms are more likely to be behind the counter or locked up, and they are often sold individually, making them more expensive at about $1.25 each.

Condoms should be made more accessible by selling them in larger packages and placing them on shelves to reduce embarrassment, wrote author Enbal Shacham, associate professor of behavioral science and health education.

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