Reduced-cost STI testing available after budget cuts

The Reflector - news









On April 18 and 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Longest Student Health Center will provide Mississippi State University students with reduced-cost Sexually Transmitted Infection testing. The testing, which will cover all major STIs and cost a flat fee of $22, is part of the MSU Student Association’s effort to promote sexual health on campus. 











The Mississippi Department of Health formerly provided free testing for students through Longest Student Health Center, but due to budget cuts, the health center can no longer provide STI testing free of charge. 














“The last time the Mississippi Department of Health provided the free testing on campus was the spring of 2012,” JuLeigh Baker said, a health education specialist at MSU. “At that time, we had about 350 students being tested over the two-day event. Unfortunately, there are several areas of health care that could use more funding, one being sexual health education for young people.”





According to the Center for Disease Control, Mississippi has the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in the United States, and people between the ages of 15 and 24  have the greatest risk for contracting an STI. 





Baker believes this is because many young Mississippians lack information concerning the topic of sexual health. 





“I think there could be more awareness about STIs on campus,” Baker said. “At every presentation I have done with student groups, there has always been at least one student, but often more, that are shocked by something new they learn. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the topic.”





P.J. Jarquin, the 2016-2017 director of research and development for SA, said so many people are uninformed because there is not enough open dialogue about sexual health. 





“We’re in Mississippi, where talking about sex is still kind of a taboo subject,” Jarquin said. “There’s a stigma around talking about sex in general, but especially about getting testing, ...


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