USCA Offers HIV Testing!
Tuesday, Nov. 15 there was free HIV testing offered in the Student Health Center. This is a service that’s been brought to campus in the past but has received mixed reviews from students. These mixed reviews come in the form of a lack of attendance. Flyers are posted weeks in advance but there is still a low show rate from the student body.
Grayson Ross is an HIV navigator at Rural Health Services (RuralHS). Rural Health Services is a federally qualified health center that offers many services to the public. Ross has been in this job since August of this year. Prior to working with RuralHS, he worked in D.C. and had related college internships.
“...very important bc a lot of people think that HIV isn’t as big of a deal anymore. While it has gone away it is still spreading and around…a couple of thousand people die of HIV a year in the US…tens of thousands still get infected.” -Grayson Ross on the importance of HIV awareness
HIV has harsh stigmatization. It is unfairly associated with being “dirty”, and engaging in bad or immoral activity like drug use or promiscuity.
How often should you be tested?
The CDC suggests that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested at least once in their lifetime.
If you have had multiple sex partners, you should be tested at least once a year
If you have a higher number of sex partners, you can be tested every three months
Those in the queer community should be tested every three months.
Currently, on-campus testing opportunities are done this way and there will be an in-advance notice. All students are encouraged to be tested if they never have been or haven't been recently.
