According to the signs throughout subway stations and ads on television, “Knowing is beautiful.” But a majority of people in Massachusetts feel that when it comes to HIV and AIDS testing, ignorance is bliss.
A survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2001 reported that only 46.4 percent of Massachusetts residents asked had ever been tested for HIV and only 25 percent had been tested in the last 12 months.
Some students said getting tested for HIV is not a top priority for them.
“It’s not a concern, it’s just really not,” said Hillary Boone, a sophomore psychology major.
However, University Health and Counseling Services Director Roberta Berrien stressed the importance for all students to be tested.
“It’s an issue for anybody that’s sexually active,” Berrien said. “People are becoming complacent now that there is treatment, but it’s not always effective.”
The University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS), formerly Lane Health Center, offer HIV screening in its facility. Appointments can be made during regular hours and Berrien reminds students they don’t have to tell the receptionist why they are seeing a clinician.
Though HIV tests done through the health center are considered confidential, they are not necessarily anonymous.
With anonymous testing, a patient’s name is not given or linked to results. In confidential testing, a name is given and may be shared with other healthcare providers, professionals and possibly the State Department of Health, according to the CDC.
Berrien stressed that, while confidential testing means it is possible to release information regarding HIV test results, there are additional provisions in place to protect patients’ privacy.
A general release is not enough to make public a positive test result. In such a case, the patient would need to sign another specific release before the information is given out.
Planned Parenthood, located at 1055 Commonwealth Ave., offers anonymous HIV testing. When making an appointment, patients are instructed to give a false name to be used to identify their sample.
Another difference between testing at the UHCS and at Planned Parenthood is the testing method. Planned Parenthood uses on-site, rapid testing that provides a result in 30 minutes, while the health center sends blood samples to an off-site lab to be processed. Patients there can expect to hear back in about 10 days, Berrien said.
Though Berrien said rapid testing is a fairly new technology and some questioned its reliability initially, she would be willing to consider it if students were interested in the service.
There is also a difference in price. Planned Parenthood charges $55 for HIV screening that must be paid in cash to protect anonymity. The UHCS does not charge for the visit, but the lab work costs about $27.
Patients can use insurance or pay out of pocket for the testing.
In preparation for the fall, Berrien said she hopes to do more outreach throughout campus by working with student groups to spread awareness of HIV and other infections that could affect students.
