SUNY Oswego health center hosts ‘Get yourself Tested’ event

OSWEGO, NY — SUNY Oswego’s Mary Walker Health Center is hosting its annual “Get yourself Tested” event Wednesday April 10, 2019. It is designed to promote STD/STI awareness and testing across campus.

According to the American Sexual Health Association, 25 percent of college students have contracted a STD/STI. The first one hundred students from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. will receive a free STD/STI screening from the Mary Walker Health Center.

“There are multiple different kinds of STDs and STIs and they are very common,” said Angie Brown, Director of Student Health Services. “One of things that makes them kind of tricky is that a lot of STDs don’t have any symptoms.”

“Get yourself Tested” started after the number of positive chlamydia tests increased from 25 confirmed cases in 2014 to 35 confirmed cases in 2015. Chlamydia is known to cause permanent damage to the reproductive organs if left untreated.

“Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most common, with chlamydia being at the top of the line for college aged students,” said Brown. “But now there are a lot of other STDs out there like HPV [Human Papillomavirus] that are pretty prevalent now too.”

According to Centers for Disease Control, the stigma surrounding STDs/STIs a prominent issue in society and can discourage people of all ages from getting tested. Testing positive for an STD/STI is not critical to a person’s life.

“Do not freak out, stay off the internet,” said Brown. “Education is biggest piece. I would say to a student to come on in let’s talk, let’s talk about how this is treated, what we need to do, what the future holds.”

Mary Walker offers STD/STI and HIV testing throughout the year. For more information visit the Walker Health Center’s website or their office at (315) 342-0888.