That’s where a new service called Biem comes into play.
Launched in the New York area this week, Biem refers to itself as the “world’s first virtual sexual health practice,” and aims to help people navigate the world of sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) — whether that means getting tested, or communicating about this topic with sexual partners.
“How we do sexual health today is broken,” Biem CEO Bryan Stacy told Digital Trends. “It’s inconvenient and anxiety-inducing, and the STD rates in America are higher than ever before. So Biem has redesigned how we ‘do’ sexual health. Unlike traditional clinics and doctor offices, we take care of the entire sexual health experience. We do it in a way that caters to the needs of a new generation, focusing on personalization and convenience. Each interaction is designed to make people feel confident and comfortable while being easy and efficient to use. From the video chat with a sexual healthcare provider to at-home testing to the ability to easily share sexual health results via your phone, Biem aims to encourage proactivity through blending judgement-free care with easy-to-use features.”
Biem is available as an app for both iOS and Android. STD testing can be completed at labs or, for an extra $45 fee, at your home — with results sent directly to your phone. The company tests for seven of the eight most common STDs in the United States — including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas, herpes type 2, and hepatitis A, B and C. Whether you are shy about sexual health, or just busy, it is a nifty solution that its creators are hoping can perform a genuine social good.
“[Right now] the app has launched in New York, which means the at-home testing component is available in all five NYC boroughs and in counties nearby the New York City metropolitan area,” Bryan Stacy continued. “That said, Biem’s lab partners — Quest and Labcorp — are already located and ready to activate throughout the U.S. The infrastructure has been put in place for wider expansion in the coming months. Biem is slated to launch in a total of 10 major U.S. cities by mid-2018.”
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