STD testing at Elon University
Image from Carlinauc.com
STD testing. It’s something so important and healthy to do, yet has so much stigma, fear, and financial aspects riddled around it. For a sexually active college student, getting frequent STD and STI tests is important for your health and safety. However, getting them has become quite an obstacle.
Most people who are getting an STD test want to keep that on the down-low; nobody wants to be walking around with a sign that says “I might have an STD” hanging around their neck. The Elon University Health Center has a lot of information about STDs and STIs, but nothing about the cost of the test at the Health Center. The Elon University Health Center only shows the cost on the list of all their services and fees, with STI testing ranging from $20-200.
This charge must then be paid on sight with Phoenix Cash or added to their tuition. When it’s added to tuition or a student uses Phoenix Cash, they might have to deal with their parents questioning. Even though the visit itself could be made confidential and none of the information would be released, a parent might still ask what the charge was for.
These tests should be free, especially for college students on their own campus. There is no reason why these students who are willing to do the right thing and stay safe have to be paying a large sum just to make sure they’re healthy, and that they’re keeping others healthy too.
Image from unomaha.edu
Planned Parenthood and Alamance County Health Department offer these services free of charge. Planned Parenthood specifies that the test must be covered by your insurance, but Alamance County Health Department says, “all services are free of charge and are available by appointment to anyone requesting service (including minors who do not have parental consent).”
Having access to these services for free and with a high level of confidentiality is important. Elon should be offering the same level of care and respect. College campuses are sadly full of sexual assault cases. People who go through these terrible experiences might want to get an STD test to keep themselves protected.
Making it mandatory for students to have to find a way to go off campus to one of these free testing locations is outrageous. It makes students not want to go get these tests because they either have to go to inconvenient places or pay a large amount of money to test for only a few out of all the different STDs and STIs.