Graham Health Center to offer free STD screenings April 13

April is STD Awareness Month and Oakland University’s Graham Health Center (GHC) is partnering with the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) as part of a nationwide effort to spread the word about the impact of sexually transmitted diseases.

Free STD screenings will be offered to the campus community from 4:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, in Vandenberg Hall. Professionals from the OCHD will be on hand to conduct tests for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. The urine tests are painless and no appointment is necessary. Test results typically are available within one week.

The screenings are being offered in support of the national “Get Yourself Tested” campaign to educate young people about STDs, encourage routine STD screenings and connect young people to testing centers. MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are just some of the partners involved in the campaign.

“We really wanted to get on board with this campaign and encourage students to get tested,” said Nancy Jansen, director of GHC. “By age 25, half of sexually active young people will get an STD.”

Fortunately, most STDs are treatable, if not curable, she added.

Additionally, GHC will be offering a promotion throughout April, with office visits for STD screenings available for only $10. Most health insurance plans are accepted and costs of services without insurance are listed on the GHC Web site.

GHC provides a range of health and wellness services, including screenings for HIV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, Syphilis and Herpes.

“It’s important to get tested because 90 percent of people with an STD don’t have symptoms.” Jansen said.

Students also can obtain free STD screening services by visiting the OCHD, according to Jansen.

For more information about the STD screenings, contact Julie Thams at (248) 370-2341 or thams@comcast.net. To learn more about the “Get Yourself Tested” campaign and STD Awareness Month, visit the Web site.