UTA Health Services is located on campus at 605 S. West St. The health center will offer free HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing Aug. 25.
Students can access free HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing offered by Health Services from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the health center.
Sponsored by CAN Community Health, the event is the first of five throughout the semester, offering students full blood panels or HIV-only fingerprick tests, said Alexis Perez, assistant director of the Office of Health Promotion. The tests are confidential and take 10 to 20 minutes.
There will be a break from noon to 1 p.m., Perez said. Peer Health Educators will also be outside the health center for students to talk with.
The blood panel will test for common sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C, she said.
STIs are caught by having unprotected sexual intercourse; the infections spread through bodily fluids or blood contamination, Perez said.
“Know that most of these are curable, and they do have treatment paths,” she said. “It’s better to know and get treated than not know and potentially have longer-term effects.”
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are common STIs that have little to no symptoms but are treatable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, damages the cells that help the body fight infection and is spread by some bodily fluids, often through unprotected sex. There is no cure for HIV, but there are medications to treat and prevent it, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Syphilis is an infection caused by bacteria most commonly spread through sexual contact. It starts as a sore on the body and spreads through direct contact with sores, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver contracted through blood-to-blood contact, Perez said. It can be treated with medication taken for up to 12 weeks.
The health center can also treat some of these infections with antibiotics, she said. CAN Community Health also offers free testing, treatment, preventive measures and more, she said.
“Keep yourself informed but also know that this is a normal stage of life, something that lots of people experience,” Perez said.
Health Promotion offers several preventative measures for HIV and STIs, including a condom closet that holds free safe sex products for students, she said. Through its condom dispenser program, it has condom dispensers in every dorm, in the Maverick Activities Center and outside the health center.
Perez said some students can be afraid of STIs, influenced by stigmas and a lack of knowledge. She said Health Promotion offers free sexual health consultations for students who have questions and want them answered by a trusted source.
“I think the fear is definitely valid and something I talk to students about a lot,” she said.
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