Syphilis screening among women arrestees at the Cook County Jail--Chicago, 1996.

Cook County (Chicago) Department of Corrections (i.e., Cook County Jail [CCJ]) is one of the largest jail systems in the United States, with a daily census of approximately 10,000 arrestees. CCJ contracts with Cermak Health Services (CHS) to provide medical services, including routine syphilis screening, to arrestees at CCJ. On January 6, 1996, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) STD/HIV Program, in collaboration with the CCJ, CHS, and CDC, implemented the Rapid Plasma Reagin (Stat RPR) Project at CCJ to improve syphilis identification and treatment rates among women. This report describes the project and provides data from the first year of operation. The findings indicate that Stat RPR yields a higher treatment rate for women arrestees than routine syphilis testing.