Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jocelyn McGregor A description of some common STDs. [Click to enlarge]

Recent statistics show that Sacramento County has among the highest infection rates for gonorrhea and chlamydia in the state, second only to Fresno County, according to the California Department of Health Services. The county's infection rate for syphilis more than doubled between 2002 and 2006.

Sacramento State's Student Health Center, located on the north-west end of campus, is fighting the trend by offering free testing for sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections, referred to as STDs and STIs, along with low-cost treatment options.

"Most testing done for STIs is part of your Student Health Center fee," said Laurie Grady, interim associate director for the Student Health Center. You don't need to make an appointment, and getting tested can be tacked on to any visit to the health center, even as an afterthought.

Getting tested is quick and can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how busy the lab is.

Economical options also exist for students wishing to get testing or receive treatment elsewhere.

"I get birth control from Planned Parenthood, so I just do it there when I go to get birth control," said Kassie Forman, an undecided third-year student at Sac State.

Grady said there are reasons people don't get treatment for their STDs and continue being carriers.

"There (are) a fair number of individuals who do not know what 'normal' and 'abnormal' is relative to their health," Grady said. "If pain is not associated, a lot of times people will not pay attention to it, or they'll ignore it hoping that it goes away. Then if it goes away, they go 'Oh then everything (is) fine.'"

It's easy to have an STD and not even know it.

"The most common symptoms of STDs are no symptoms at all," said Dennis Laskey, former peer health educator in the Students Health Center's Sexual Health Department and senior communication studies major.

Someone can still be a carrier long after symptoms have gone away, or if symptoms never materialized in the first place, Laskey said.

"You can have something and not know it, and pass it on to someone else," Laskey said. "You have the gift that keeps on giving."

Getting tested is a private and painless procedure, Grady said.

"Sometimes when people come in (for) something they don't want to say at a reception counter, they can say they are there for a 'personal concern,' or they can fill out a paper form," Grady said.

The testing process includes a private interview with one of the center's licensed staff members about concerns and sexual history. The patient then enters the restroom to urinate into a cup that is then returned to the lab through a cubby-hole inside the restroom.

A blood sample would then be privately taken in the lab to test for additional STDs such as herpes and HIV.

Test results are available in three or four days.

"Let me tell you, those three or four days are the worst three or four days of your life," Laskey said. "But when you go in there and find out you're clean, it's all cool."

For students who have STDs, the center offers treatment and low-cost drugs.

"They're basically at cost. We're not-for-profit, so you'll find that the costs here are significantly less than what they would be on the outside," Grady said.

Visiting the Health Center has other perks as well, such as free condoms, foams, lubricants and condom-wallets.

"You get them in bags of 40, and if you go through that a month, you're having some fun," Laskey said. Avi Ehrlich can be reached at aehlrich@statehornet.com.

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