MCHD’s Sexually Transmitted Diseases Team Earns National Certification

The Mobile County Health Department has announced that its Sexually Transmitted Diseases team has achieved national certification, with its Disease Intervention Specialists successfully completing the National Disease Intervention Specialist Certification Examination to earn their CDIS credentials.

Disease Intervention Specialists work behind the scenes of the public health system, conducting disease investigations, providing patient education, connecting individuals to treatment, and managing partner notification services. Their work is focused on preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections within the community, often through direct, one-on-one outreach that can be sensitive and time-intensive.

Cherrite Peterson, Public Health Administrator II, supervised the team’s achievement. “This certification is a testament to the knowledge, professionalism, and compassion our Disease Intervention Specialists demonstrate every day,” Peterson said.

Peterson emphasized that the certification strengthens the department’s public health responses and demonstrates its commitment to service quality, noting the importance of workforce development in enhancing services available to the community.

The Mobile County Health Department views the certification as validation of its broader mission: preventing disease, promoting health, and protecting the well-being of residents across Mobile County.

National certification programs like the one completed by MCHD’s team are designed to standardize training and competency among disease intervention professionals nationwide, a workforce that plays a central role in local and state efforts to track and contain the spread of infectious disease.