A couple weeks ago, police arrested a woman who had been loitering around the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania dorms. She was charged for prostitution and afterward told the police that she was HIV positive and had had sexual contact with ten male students. Cheyney University quickly released a statement urging whoever had sexual contact with the woman to receive HIV/AIDS testing.
"Cheyney University takes this matter very seriously," the statement said. "The University is offering students a wide range of proactive services including but not limited to counseling, transportation to hospitals and educational information as to this health issue."
Cheyney also said that they have various services in place for HIV awareness and prevention. They have added various programs to keep their students safe, including facilitating meetings with students and representatives from the Circle of Care, a community-based group focused on HIV/AIDS prevention.
So, the question is, are college campuses prepared to take care of students who get infected with HIV?
"I would say yes," Jennifer Attanasio, the Health educator at University of Southern California's (USC) Health Promotion and Prevention Services, said.
"Everywhere from counseling endeavors to medical services provision to testing, I would venture to say that most campuses in the country have some resource for that, whether they do in-house provision or [act as] a referral source," she said.
USC has a comprehensive website with information on Health Promotion and Prevention Services. Its website has a page of information devoted to anonymous HIV testing and counseling. For a 20-dollar lab charge, which is lifted during the month of February, students can get tested and become informed. Attanasio said that USC's health services are "fee funded for the students." USC also has a volunteer program that for fifteen years has had students counsel and test other students. This peer resource was the first in the country.
"Cheyney University takes this matter very seriously," the statement said. "The University is offering students a wide range of proactive services including but not limited to counseling, transportation to hospitals and educational information as to this health issue."
Cheyney also said that they have various services in place for HIV awareness and prevention. They have added various programs to keep their students safe, including facilitating meetings with students and representatives from the Circle of Care, a community-based group focused on HIV/AIDS prevention.
So, the question is, are college campuses prepared to take care of students who get infected with HIV?
"I would say yes," Jennifer Attanasio, the Health educator at University of Southern California's (USC) Health Promotion and Prevention Services, said.
"Everywhere from counseling endeavors to medical services provision to testing, I would venture to say that most campuses in the country have some resource for that, whether they do in-house provision or [act as] a referral source," she said.
USC has a comprehensive website with information on Health Promotion and Prevention Services. Its website has a page of information devoted to anonymous HIV testing and counseling. For a 20-dollar lab charge, which is lifted during the month of February, students can get tested and become informed. Attanasio said that USC's health services are "fee funded for the students." USC also has a volunteer program that for fifteen years has had students counsel and test other students. This peer resource was the first in the country.
