Clean and simply-furnished, the LSU Women’s Center gives awelcoming vibe to visitors. To individuals waiting to be tested forhuman immunodeficiency virus though, it is the last place they wantto be.
After nervously waiting in the lobby area, an individual walksinto a small room and sits down at a table covered in pamphletsabout condoms and sexually transmitted diseases.
Carla Vincent, the Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge workerwho administered tests Thursday, said there are two alternativesfor HIV testing. Anonymous testing only requires the individual todisclose demographic information and age, while confidentialtesting requires an individual’s name, address and othercontact information.
If an individual chooses the confidential alternative and testspositive for HIV, the Wellness Center will contact him or her andprovide services as soon as possible, Vincent said.
Since individuals who choose the anonymous alternative do notprovide their names or other personal information, they obtaintheir results with an identification card the test administratorgives them, Vincent said. It is up to the individual to go to theWellness Center, get the test and find care.
Vincent emphasizes receiving treatment as soon as possible.
Vincent said by testing positive for HIV, people realize theyhave been exposed to the disease. But, they do not know how longthey have had the disease.
Partnered with Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge and theLSU Wellness Center, the Women’s Center offers free HIVtesting for men and women every Thursday from noon to 4 p.m.
Vincent said the program is a “golden opportunity”for students to get tested because it is free and accessible.
Vincent said college students being tested most frequently askif condoms are effective means of protected sex. She said whileabstinence is the only complete form of protection, condoms alsocan be effective and are better than the risk of having unprotectedsex.
“Condoms cost 15 cents or less, while some medicines forpeople with AIDS cost $600 per month,” Vincent said.
She said more people are opting for the”confidential” testing alternative than in thepast.
“The stigma is there, but it’s not like it used tobe,” Vincent said. “It is more accepted because morepeople are HIV-positive. Baton Rouge is number two in AIDS casesper capita. It doesn’t discriminate.”
Family Services, a non-profit agency, funds the HIV testing atthe Women’s Center through a grant from the Louisiana Officeof Public Health, said Mary Helen Borck, HIV program director atFamily Services of Greater Baton Rouge.
According to the Informed Consent and Voluntary Agreement to HIVAntibody Testing pamphlet distributed by the Louisiana Office ofPublic Health HIV/AIDS Program, Louisiana law requires HIV testadministrators such as Vincent to read disclosures to theindividuals being tested. Test results are confidential with someexceptions, such as when disclosure is implemented by federal orstate law and for medical or insurance reasons.
The test, OraSure, is simple and painless. It looks like atoothbrush — a simple mouth swab on the end of a plasticwand. The swab collects saliva in the individual’s mouthbetween the cheek and the gum. Though the swab leaves a bittertaste in the mouth, Vincent supplies peppermints and moralsupport.
Vincent said test numbers have improved because there are noneedles involved.
Test administrators send all samples to be analyzed, and theindividuals can pick up their results in two weeks at the WellnessCenter. The Louisiana Office of Public Health is notified of testswith positive results.
Vincent said positive test results are double-checked, andsometimes individuals are retested.
“This is something you want to be absolutely sureabout,” Vincent said.
After the test, test administrators help individuals set up aplan to “take charge,” Vincent said. Testadministrators work with the individuals to eradicate “riskybehavior,” such as unprotected sex, from their lives. Eachplan is different, depending on what the individual wants to changeabout his or her sexual activity.
Vincent said she hopes the plan helps individuals make protectedsex a part of their lives during the two-week wait for the HIV testresults.
Vincent said Baton Rouge’s high HIV rate has exposed morepeople to HIV through personal experience with the virus or byknowing people with HIV.
Vincent advises women to think about themselves when faced withhaving unprotected sex.
“It’s about being selfish and self-centered becauseyou are the only one who can keep yourself safe,” Vincentsaid. “Women need to embrace being in charge. Your whole lifechanges. Not that it’s changed for the worse, but there is nocure. What we do have is protection, education and knowledge we canpass on.”