Free HIV testing offered at Union
Karolina Strack / Assistant Photo Editor
Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: News
February's calendar has been filled with various activities relating to black history, and today will be no different except for one unique event — HIV testing.
The event, sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, will provide free and anonymous HIV tests to students.
The Champaign Health Department will conduct tests from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Martinsville Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
Results take an average of 20 minutes, which is also an incentive for students to wait and get the results, said Shawn Peoples, the adviser for Delta Sigma Theta.
If someone tests positive, they have the option of talking to a counselor and working with the Champaign Health Department in their treatment and counseling.
According to the Center for Disease Control, blacks have the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in the United States. Within that group, black women have a higher risk in comparison to black men.
"Our sorority received a grant to test for HIV for Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV to target the African-American college population between the ages of 18 and 24," Peoples said.
The program is in its fourth year and has generally seen a turnout of 75 to 100 students for testing with the majority of participants being black women.
The testing will be one of the few times students are able to get tested on campus for HIV.
Health Services on campus does not offer HIV testing, because it does not have counselors available for those that do test positive, according to Catherine Spannagel, sexual health education coordinator for the Health Education Resource Center.
"The health clinic tests for almost all STIs except for HIV — the funding just isn't there for it," Spannagel said.
With the grant no longer available, the program will mostly likely continue, but only once a year, Peoples said.
In previous years testing has been conducted at Eastern in February as part of African-American Heritage Month and in April, but the April date will most likely be the one that is cut, Peoples said.
Karolina Strack can be reached at 581-7942 or at
DENnewsdesk@gmail.com.
More African-American Heritage Month events:
The event, sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, will provide free and anonymous HIV tests to students.
The Champaign Health Department will conduct tests from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Martinsville Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
Results take an average of 20 minutes, which is also an incentive for students to wait and get the results, said Shawn Peoples, the adviser for Delta Sigma Theta.
If someone tests positive, they have the option of talking to a counselor and working with the Champaign Health Department in their treatment and counseling.
According to the Center for Disease Control, blacks have the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in the United States. Within that group, black women have a higher risk in comparison to black men.
"Our sorority received a grant to test for HIV for Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV to target the African-American college population between the ages of 18 and 24," Peoples said.
The program is in its fourth year and has generally seen a turnout of 75 to 100 students for testing with the majority of participants being black women.
The testing will be one of the few times students are able to get tested on campus for HIV.
Health Services on campus does not offer HIV testing, because it does not have counselors available for those that do test positive, according to Catherine Spannagel, sexual health education coordinator for the Health Education Resource Center.
"The health clinic tests for almost all STIs except for HIV — the funding just isn't there for it," Spannagel said.
With the grant no longer available, the program will mostly likely continue, but only once a year, Peoples said.
In previous years testing has been conducted at Eastern in February as part of African-American Heritage Month and in April, but the April date will most likely be the one that is cut, Peoples said.
Karolina Strack can be reached at 581-7942 or at
DENnewsdesk@gmail.com.
More African-American Heritage Month events:
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RnBob
posted 2/16/09 @ 9:37 AM CST
Your article stated that "According to the Center for Disease Control, blacks have the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in the United States. (Continued…)
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