Two Test Minimum; STD Test Shortages at UHC

Sexually transmitted diseases are dominant in Louisiana. Research shows that Baton Rouge isn’t just one of the top three cities in Louisiana with high STD rate, but also from the year 2016 to 2018 the numbers begin to increase tremendously. Doctors say younger people from ages 16-24 showed more cases than others. Testing and health check ups are commercialized and pushed regularly in the community. Additionally, about 1 in 4 college students has or have had sexually transmitted disease.
The Univeristy Health Center (UHC) on campus schedules students daily, helping them stay up proactive with their bodies. One of The Digest journalists is a regular visitor at the on campus health center, and upon preparation to take a STD test, the nurse practitioner stated to him that this would be his last test for the semester, and that students were only allowed to take two each semester.
This raised plenty of concerns being that Baton Rouge is ranked number three in the state for high STD rates. Cameron Jhonson, a senior majoring in Agriculture says he prefers to use the off campus health center for this particular reason. “When I first started attending this university I would visit the health center frequently because I like to stay ahead of the game with health. I feel like we shouldn’t be limited to testing. Were college students living in Baton Rouge, that not fair or safe.”
When hearing this news, an investigative reporter for the Digest immediately reached out to the health center for a comment. General information was asked such as why students were only limited to two tests and if the university’s finances had anything to do with it. The response received from the nurse on duty stated that they could not release any information to the press.
Teyanna Lee, a junior majoring in pre-law, says she hopes finances have nothing to do with it. “This university funds and sponsors way too much. I’m hoping student testing has nothing to do with finances because then it would be like students’ health isn’t prioritized the way it should be.”
Students who don’t have transportation to travel off campus to alternative health centers are advised to partake in testing once at the beginning of the semester and once at the end. This way students can know where their health stands before and after the semester. Condoms are also advised and available to all students in the health center.