UWG Health Services Offering Free HIV Testing

The UWG Health Education/Health Services department is partnering with AIDS Alliance ATL to provide free HIV testing on Oct. 30 from 1-4 p.m. The event will be held in front of the UCC and will include free merch and condoms. 

“They will bring a mobile testing unit out and they will do a really quick rapid test. So, you’ll have your results within a minute,” said Mary Beth Thompson, Health Education Coordinator. 

This rapid test will allow students to quickly and conveniently take an HIV/AIDS test with full discretion. There will be one sprinter van with two testing rooms inside for students to take their tests. 

“If you test positive, we have the resources, and if you’re negative, you’ll get a card so that you can post on your socials or not,” said Thompson. 

The Health Education Department wants to provide students with information about healthy life habits such as having proper nutrition, practicing safe sex and being proactive when it comes to drinking so that the students can practice safer drinking habits. 

“Health Services is a multi-unit entity on campus, we have the medical side which most people think of,” said Thompson. “And there’s the health education side where we teach the students in casual and formal settings in order to help them adopt healthy behaviors.” 

 The Health Education Department has peer educators who are student assistants. Their role in health education is to go out on campus and educate their peers one on one and informal settings like presentations and tables.  

The table events are the most frequent type of events that Health Education provides. The tables are around campus on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1-3 p.m. 

“We have events around as many of the topics that we can fit in,” said Thompson. “ That’s alcohol, marijuana and all other drugs, safer sex, sexual assault prevention, stress management, sleep hygiene, and nutrition.” 

They also hold more significant events like the free HIV testing, a Wellness Expo and a Take Back the Night event that will be held in the spring. 

“In November, we’re just doing our tables, but it’s National Diabetes Awareness month, so we’ll be doing some tabling around that information,” Thompson said.