Health Service to offer free HIV testing

From April 15 to April 30, Health Service will be offering free HIV testing to students. The free testing aims to raise awareness about the importance of getting tested for HIV, in order to begin treatment and to prevent further transmission of the virus.

According to Michelle Bowdler, senior director of health and wellness service, the screening involves a blood test. Students interested in receiving the test should make an appointment, and they will receive results three to five days after the test is taken, she said.

“There are such good treatments for HIV infection now, and it’s just so important for people to know their status,” Bowdler said.

Medical Director Margaret Higham also testified to the importance of detecting HIV early, regarding both the available treatments and the importance of preventing further transmission.

“They are also less likely to spread [HIV],” she said. “Early in the illness, people are extraordinarily infectious … once people know their status, if they are infectious, they tend to be more careful with safe sex.”

Bowdler said that HIV testing is offered all year long, and is generally covered by insurance. However, free testing at Health Service only occurs once a year, she said.

“It’s a way to raise awareness,” Bowdler explained.

According to Bowdler and Higham, there is a slight increase in HIV testing when free testing is offered, but Health Service sees many students who receive sexually transmitted infections (STI) tests every day.

“We offer this information all year long because it’s a public health issue,” Bowdler said.

The free testing, which is supported by Tufts Health Advocates(THA), will be occurring along with a panel on pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis -- drugs that can be taken to reduce HIV risk both before and after infection -- led by Higham. The panel will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14 in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room. The event is co-sponsored by the Tufts University LGBT Center and Public Health at Tufts (PHAT).

“We’re really proud of this effort. Pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis is such an important public health initiative, and Dr. Higham and other people here have really taken a lead in terms of … trying to get this information out at the university level because of the difference it can make in peoples’ lives for decades," Bowdler said. "We’re hoping that other colleges take the initiative to do this work as well, because it is so important.”

Bowdler also praised the work that THA has done to promote these health initiatives.

“On this issue, [THA] has been really proactive,” Bowdler said. “They’ve really been great partners with us on this.”

Emma Brenner-Bryant, a junior who serves as co-leader of THA, explained that THA works to represent the needs of students in terms of health policy and to relay information about resources at Tufts and Health Service to students.

“Last year, we decided to do a lot of publicity [for free HIV testing] … because a lot of students had been asking about testing and were confused about how much they would have to pay,” she said.

Brenner-Bryant also said that this has been the first year that Health Service has offered pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Furthermore, the resources offered at Tufts are more convenient for students than using off-campus resources, she said, noting that THA hopes to raise awareness for students through its efforts and the upcoming panel.

“The hope is to give people information and answer students' questions," Brenner-Bryant said. "As students, we only have so much information, and so we want to make the gap smaller between the administration and the students."

Brenner-Bryant added that if students have concerns, questions or comments for Health Service staff and administration, they can reach out to THA through their email address and have their voices heard.

According to Bowdler,HIV treatments and testing have evolved significantly over the years.

“I’ve been working on HIV issues for 25 years," Bowdler said. "When I worked at a treatment center for injection drug users … we were just beginning to talk about HIV infection and really seeing the impact, and the difference now in terms of the available [treatments] and the need for testing, because of the difference it can make in people’s lives … can’t be overstated."