UA Student Health Services is partnering with The Community AIDS Network (CANAPI) to bring free HIV testing to all current students.

On Feb. 4, 2015, Health Services will be giving free and confidential HIV testing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, students can call Health Services at 330-972-7808. Along with HIV testing, they will offer free STI testing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with no appointment necessary.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youths from the ages of 13 to 24 account for 26 percent of all new HIV cases. 60 percent of these people do not even know that they are infected.

With normal tests for HIV costing anywhere from $30 to $90, some college students simply do not have the extra money to pay for this. Having UA’s Student Health Services partner with CANAPI gives students the opportunity to better monitor their health; it gives them the ability to be proactive instead of reactive.

“It is very important and as confidential as it can get. It’s also free so it’s a good thing to take advantage of,” said Patty Asbury, medical secretary at the Student Health Services. “We normally do free testing once a month every semester, and we try to do it on the first Wednesday of the month except during the summer.”

UA is among the many college campuses across the nation that are starting to offer free HIV testing. More details on testing and medical information can be found on UA’s Health Services website at http://www.uakron.edu/healthservices/.