Southern University’s Baranco-Hill Student Health Center is offering free and confidential HIV testing to students, staff, and the general public by appointment on Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
The free testing began in the spring of 2003.
“We wanted to have an in service program for students,” said Pamela Metoyer, the nurse manager at SU’s Health Center. “No name or results are handled by our office. Everything is confidential and is handled with Metro Health.”
The testing process lasts for about 30 minutes. A medical professional provides educational counseling before and after the test is administered. Results are usually given within two weeks.
“We are here to help and educate, not judge,” said Venise Parker-Chambers, a perinatal outreach consultant for Metro Health.
The test requires no needles or blood. The examiner simply rubs a cotton swab on the inside of the cheek to obtain the necessary tissue to determine the results.
“I think that this is beneficial for students, especially since it’s free. For those who do not have cars, it’s probably easier than catching the bus,” said Alexandra Jones, a sophomore nursing major from Lafayette. “Students need to know what’s going on with their bodies.”
HIV, also known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. HIV is spread through unprotected sex, the sharing of needles or syringes and mother-to-child transmission.
When the HIV virus takes over the body, the body’s immune system is affected. Healthy CD4 cells, the strength of the immune system, become adulterated. Without the function of these cells, the body becomes weak and cannot fight bacteria and germs that enter the body everyday. When HIV patients CD4 cell count becomes too low, the result is AIDS.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at the end of 2002, an estimated 42 million people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
There are approximately 850,000 to 950,000 United States residents living with the HIV infection. In addition, African-Americans accounted for roughly half of the new HIV infections reported in the United States in 2001.
“Every minute, someone between the ages of 10 to 25 is infected with HIV in America,” said Parker-Chambers. “Education and prevention are the best ways to stop the spread of this disease.”
For more information, contact the Baranco-Hill Health Center at 771-4770 or the Louisiana AIDS Hotline at 1-800-992-4379.
