Ashe Center offers free STI testing for students throughout February

The Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center is offering free testing for sexually transmitted infections to students throughout February as part of the Student Health Advisory Committee‘s Know Your Status campaign.

The committee is collaborating with the Ashe Center for the second year to educate students about sexual health and provide free and confidential STI testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV.

In addition to the Ashe Center’s free STI testing, the Healthy Campus Initiative is supporting the Know Your Status campaign by awarding $2,500 to the Student Health Advisory Committee to fund this year’s campaign, said Ashley Phelps, director of quality management at the Ashe Center. The money was put toward fliers and promotional T-shirts as well as safe-sex kits that members of the Student Health Advisory Committee have distributed to students on campus. Prior to Valentine’s Day, members also handed out roses made from folded-up condoms and pipe cleaners to educate students about the campaign.

“It’s really important for people to know their status and take their health and wellness very seriously,” Phelps said. “With these conditions, you can be positive and be asymptomatic – you can be a carrier and not even know it, and then spread it to people you care about.”

The Ashe Center has performed roughly 800 free tests on students since the beginning of February, Phelps said. Tests are available to students enrolled or not enrolled in the University of California Student Health Insurance Program, and appointments are required.

Compiled by Laurel Scott, Bruin contributor.

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