About 48 students come in every week to take advantage of free HIV testing at the UMC.
That equates to about 300 students that come in every semester, and 2,400 people that come in the span of any one student’s four years at CU.
Fifth year senior and studio arts major Jonna Fleming, the HIV testing coordinator for Wardenburg’s Community Health Resource Center, said that though 2,400 is a big number, it accounts for only a small percentage of students that could take advantage of the free testing.
“It is always the case that more should be getting tested,” Fleming said. “Many people don’t think that they’re at risk. Certainly some have higher risk and some have lower risk, but some people can be scared to find out their results.”
Every Monday and Tuesday night from 5:30 until 7:10 p.m., students can come in to UMC 411 to be tested for HIV with what is called a Unigold device, something that looks very similar to a pregnancy test, Fleming said.
“After a finger prick, a drop of blood is put into the device with some reagent fluid and it processes for ten minutes,” she said.
Then, while the client waits for the test to finish, the test counselor—a student trained and certified by Boulder County Public Health—speaks with the client about HIV and risk reduction, Fleming said.
Fleming said that it is relatively uncommon for health clinics to administer HIV testing for free.
However, some students would still prefer to visit a private physician to be tested.
“I trust Planned Parenthood more than I trust the UMC,” said Jessi Kwak, a 20-year-old junior ecology and evolutionary biology major. “It seems more backed, I guess … it is more advertised and you see hear about it (Planned Parenthood) everywhere. It is more easily acceptable.”
Shahlaye Geer, a senior sociology major, said that she could see both sides of the issue.
“I could see how some people would be skeptical, but I would be more comfortable going to school rather than going to the doctor,” Geer said. “I think there is a draw if you don’t want your parents to know you’re being tested.”
Geer said that she could also see how testing in a public place could be a major drawback.
“A lot of people don’t walk in thinking of it as, ‘I am looking out for my health,’ but a lot look at it as though students are judging them because they’re going in to get tested and probably have an STD,” Greer said. “Even though you’re going somewhere where they need to treat you like a patient and keep your privacy, it’s still kind of weird going somewhere that’s not a doctor’s office. And it’s free, you know?”
Kwak agreed that the main deterrent for going to the UMC to get tested would be that it is held in a building that sees so much student traffic.
“A ton of people are at the UMC, and it would be embarrassing to just walk up to the HIV place there,” Kwak said.
Sam Woodburn, a senior environmental studies major, said that the majority of his decision would depend on the reliability of the test itself.
“I guess if it weren’t private or well organized, then it might not be as good of an option,” Woodburn said. “But if it’s free at the UMC, that’s a bonus.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Romano at ana.romano@colorado.edu.
