Handling the Health: STD Testing Around Campus

No student on this campus is perfect, and each of us makes mistakes and has days when we worry about things we heartily regret. If any of those worries ties in with your sexual health, however, there are accessible resources on and off campus to help clear away doubts and restore peace of mind.
Have you ever wondered about your HIV status? Or maybe you thought you were pregnant or thought you could have gonorrhea or chlamydia? If you’re worried about HIV, there are two ways of getting tested. The College offers free peer-to-peer testing, or free testing by a professional at Student Health. Either option is available to any interested student, and both are completely confidential and anonymous, meaning that you will only be identified by a random number.
“Students are pleased to know that HIV testing is on campus,” Director of Health Education Lori Morgan Flood said. “HIV hasn’t gone away, and we want to continue to work on prevention while the problem continues.” Professional testing is currently being performed every other Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Student Health, (247 W. Lorain St.) and results are available at Student Health during the same hours two weeks later. The peer-to-peer tests have not yet begun, but if you have an interest in testing hours, please contact the student HIV testers at ohiv@oberlin.edu. More information about the HIV testing programs can be found at www.oberlin.edu/~hiv or by contacting the Wellness Center at 775-6577. Free condoms are also available at the Wellness Center, which is located in Wilder 314.
HIV isn’t the only concern on campus, however, and another common one is fear of pregnancy. If the condom broke, slipped, tore or you missed two or more pills in a pack, the morning-after pill is an option you should know about. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, the morning-after pill can provide 70 to 90 percent protection from pregnancy, although it will not protect against any sexually transmitted diseases. Students needing the morning-after pill should contact Student Health at 775-8180 as soon as possible after having unprotected sex, and they will be worked into the schedule within their 72-hour time period. When calling, be sure to specify that you are looking for the morning-after pill, so that you will get an appointment before your 72-hour limit is up.

It is important to keep in mind that the Emergency Room of the Allen Memorial Hospital is not equipped to give out the morning-after pill, and all requests for the pill need to be directed to Student Health or Family Planning Services. Family Planning can be found at Student Health Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please call Student Health at 775-8180 for more information. “We are really proud to be able to offer everything we can and to make everything more accessible to students,” Director of Student Health Laura Hieronymus said

If it has been longer than 72 hours and you need a pregnancy test, contact Oberlin’s Sexual Information Center (SIC) at 775-8135 or by e-mail at osic@oberlin.edu. Pregnancy tests are available for $1 and SIC offers many other informational and supply services.

While HIV testing may be free, chlamydia and gonorrhea testing is not. Both are available at Student Health ($30 for both tests) as part of a sexual health examination. The student is charged for the tests and there is no record of either test on insurance forms. Information about the tests cannot be released by Student Health without the written consent of the student, meaning that parents cannot be notified without the student’s knowledge.
If you have questions or concerns about your health, please contact Student Health at 775-8180. Appointments are made Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday or Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.