IVC holds its first HIV awareness event
IMPERIAL — The Associated Student Government of Imperial Valley College partnered with Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Nov. 29 to provide the very first HIV awareness event and free HIV rapid testing for all students.
The event took place inside the College Center, where guest speaker Dr. George Fareed provided students with information their risk of HIV in our community.
“This is an important event because we need to educate our young people about the risks out in our community,” said Ana V. Beltran, a licensed vocational nurse at Imperial Valley College. “There are so many things that we try to avoid (talking about) because of the (HIV) stigma … but it is there, and it needs to be addressed to protect yourself and others.”
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, Planned Parenthood and Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center came forth to provide information and resources like contraceptives to students who attended.
The event was held from noon to 2 p.m., and students were given free food and beverages.
Imperial Valley College promoted the event through different platforms both on and off campus. Beltran hopes to continue this event each semester to continue to bring more awareness on the topic.
“We want to continue to grow and reach more youth and anyone in general,” she said. “Anyone is at risk, so people should be informed.”
Adults between the ages of 20 and 24 are most prone to contracting HIV due to higher levels of sexual activity. HIV.gov reports there are about 40,000 new cases of HIV infection in the United States each year, and one in seven individuals who are positive for the virus don’t know it.
Similar to a glucose level test, HIV rapid testing consists of drawing a small amount of blood from a finger and putting it into a meter. The meter tests for any HIV antigens present in the blood.
Each semester students are required to pay a $25 student health fee. That fee grants students the opportunity to seek medical attention from either of the two nurses on staff. Although Imperial Valley College does not provide HIV rapid testing on campus, it does provide students with information on outside sources that can offer the rapid test at little or no cost.
After the presentation, students had the opportunity to sign up for an HIV rapid test.
The testing was provided by Planned Parenthood free of charge to any IVC student, and the testing was done privately.