University of Rhode Island Health Services partnered with AIDS Project Rhode Island and provided free and anonymous HIV and HCV testing to students.
The testing, conducted in Memorial Union Room 313, offered a private and convenient way for students to know their status, according to Jessica Green, assistant director of health promotion and wellness. Testing is offered in partnership with the APRI.
“Fifteen percent of people in the U.S. have HIV but don’t know it,” said Greene. “One-third of new infections will occur in people under 30.”
Open to students on Sept. 24 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the clinic offered no-cost rapid and private testing for students, according to a flier issued by URI Health Promotion.
In previous years, testing took place at the URI Health Services building, according to Greene. By hosting the clinic in Memorial Union instead, Health Services hoped to offer students who may not have planned to get tested an opportunity to do so.
URI Health Services offers varied options for sexually-transmitted disease testing, according to William Massey, associate director of Health Services.
Outside of clinics, students can make online appointments throughout the semester with Health Services, according to Massey. Providers can work with students to ensure results are delivered in a safe and private manner. Additionally, asymptomatic students seeking testing may be able to complete lab work and get results without an in-person encounter at health services.
“We really are student focused,” Massey said. “We’re very proud to offer varied options for students who wish to access these services, and we hope to see students take advantage of it.”
URI Health Services also offers free preventative tools, including condoms, lubricant and dental dams. Students can find these both for free at the health services or for 10 cents, in wellness vending machines located in the Robert L. Carothers Library and Memorial Union. URI Health Services also partners with APRI to provide at-home HIV test kits.
“If you’re sexually active you should get tested at least once a year,” Greene said. “Sometimes, when someone contracts the virus, they might just have flu-like symptoms and not be aware that they are positive.”
Alongside barrier protection and testing, students can access Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PreP, a treatment for individuals who are HIV-negative but may be at risk of exposure through sex or injection drug use, through Health Services, according to Greene.
“Every month, we have about 50 to 60 students who take advantage of our HIV testing here at the health center,” said Greene. “We do have PreP testing, and we can help [students] access that.”
URI Health Services will host their next HIV and HCV testing clinic on Nov. 3, according to Greene. Memorial Union Room 313 will be open to students interested in testing from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with results delivered on site within 20 minutes. An additional clinic will also take place on Dec. 2.
