Partner Services Program information for the public

Learn about the Partner Services Program (PSP)

What is the Partner Services Program (PSP)?

When people in Massachusetts are diagnosed with one of several sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health provides sexual health services. These services are all free, voluntary, and confidential. If you have been diagnosed with HIV or another STD, someone from our team of specially-trained staff can:

  • Answer your questions about STDs
  • Help you get medical care or treatment
  • Help tell sexual partners that they might have been exposed to an STD
  • Help partners get testing and medical care
  • Help you and your partners prevent STDs in the future

How will the Partner Services Program help me?

We can be helpful in many ways. One of us will contact you to talk about:

  • The testing and treatment you received and/or the ongoing medical care you may need
  • How to get other services you may need
  • How to tell your partners they may have been exposed to an STD
  • Options for anonymous partner notification
  • How to prevent getting and passing STDs when having sex
  • Where to get condoms and other prevention tools

How will telling my partners help me?

People tell us that it can feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even scary to think about how to tell partners they might have been exposed to HIV or another STD, but we are here to make it easier. We can talk to your partners for you (without telling them anything about you) or help you talk to them yourself. Telling them is important because:

  • you are less likely to get another STD in the future if they get tested and treated
  • Letting them know gives them a chance to take care of their health

If I want you to talk to my partners, what will you do?

When we talk to your partners, we won’t tell them your name, gender, or anything about you at all. We won’t even tell them the date they may have been exposed. Instead, we will:

  • Let them know that they might have been exposed to an STD
  • Help them get testing and medical care if needed
  • Help them prevent getting or passing STDs in the future

Where can I get more information?

Visit our partner services pages for more information or call (617) 983 - 6999.

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