Most treatments force patients to structure their day around taking dozens of pills. She said that one benefit of testing is that it starts a dialogue about sexually-transmitted diseases. One student who got tested for HIV spoke with The Herald on condition of anonymity. Hopefully, if enough students have conversations about HIV before enjoying sexual intimacy, there will be fewer positive HIV tests to have to deal with. McMillan said that Health Services could be doing more about getting students to think about whether they need testing and what their testing options are.
Men escape that.
Health Services is trying to figure out how it can address more men about this issue. To start, information on HIV testing is provided in pamphlets and on the Health Services Web site, McMillan said. Doctors often bring the topic up in conversations with students who come into Health Services and in some health education outreaches, she added. Health Services has a confidential HIV testing policy, meaning the results are entered into the patient's medical record. These medical files are not shared with parents, deans, or anyone else without the patient's consent, McMillan said.