On Monday, the Codman Square Health Center opened its new X-Clinic, which will offer free testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The city’s Public Health Commission recently reported that Dorchester and Mattapan had the highest rates of chlamydia in the city, with Dorchester having a rate of infection nearly twice the overall rate in Boston. High rates of gonorrhea were also reported in young men of color in Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury, and the South End.

“We were pretty aware of those numbers before the report came out because we see a lot of those patients,” said the health center’s Scotland Huber. The X-Clinic was necessary, he added, “especially given the statistics.”

A federal grant funded the opening of the new X-Clinic, which is geared toward increasing access to testing and overall treatment of HIV and STIs. For now, it will be open three days a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with two primary providers on site. Appointments are on a walk-in basis.

“The goal is to get as many people treated as possible,” said Jonathan Reveil, HIV Prevention & Outreach Coordinator at the center.

X-Clinic is equipped to offer rapid HIV and Hepatitis B and C testing, with most patients getting results in about an hour. The facility will allow providers to administer more testing as well as give patients more inclusive care in an effort to increase awareness of HIV prevention tools for HIV-negative individuals who stand a significant risk of contracting the virus.

These prevention tools include Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). Reveil described PrEP as being, “like a birth control pill for HIV” while PEP is “similar to a plan B pill.” Both PrEP and PEP will be available to patients at the X-Clinic.

While all will be welcomed by the clinic, the team is targeting younger patients and women, who are some of the most affected patients.

The center is exploring the promotion of what the X-Clinic offers online and in schools and it’s also looking at advertising in popular dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr. “The mentality that we have is meeting people where they are at,” said Reveil.