Access for sexual health care is expanding, especially for women.Â
The Office of Womenâs Health, a branch under the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, leads National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10 to encourage prevention, care and treatment for the female population. Â
At-risk populations, including men who engage in sexual activity with other men and those who use drugs by IV needle, are at the forefront of the conversation. Despite the importance of addressing at-risk populations, it can be harmful for women to be left out of the discussion.Â
Women make up 18.4% of the people living with HIV in Oklahoma, according to AIDSVU. Nationally, women make up 23%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, 19% of new diagnoses in the United States were women.Â
Melinda Caldwell, OSU grant coordinator, said she encourages everyone, despite identity, to test for HIV, but she acknowledges women are a part of that everyone.Â
âItâs recommended that everyone get tested, regardless of risk, but I will say, especially women who are participating in risky behaviors, such as the use of IV drug needles,â Caldwell said. âI think itâs just being aware of if you fall into those risky behaviors, or if you have multiple sex partners and youâre unaware of their status, you probably want to get tested.âÂ
For women in Oklahoma, testing can be stigmatized and inaccessible. Oklahoma was one of seven states with the highest rural burden for HIV in 2022, the year the grant became funded.
Caldwell said the lack of accessibility for testing and care in Oklahoma is a problem she has hoped to solve with Project G.R.O.W., the OSU Wellness Community Program grant.
âThrough this grant, we were able to partner in contract with H.O.P.E. testing out of Tulsa, that provides on-site testing, free and confidential, within the five-county area, the five counties we were funded to work in,â Caldwell said. âWhich includes Payne, Pawnee, Osage, Okmulgee and Creek County.âÂ
People 13-24 are the target population for the grant, but all ages and genders can benefit from its resources. Project G.R.O.W hopes to destigmatize HIV testing by encouraging the entire population to test, providing multiple ways to access testing.Â
For students on campus, the Colvin Recreation Center vending machine, where students can find free self-test kits and other sexual protection items, such as condoms and lube, is one of the resources the grant provides.Â
The on-site testing events, which Project G.R.O.W., OSU Wellness and H.O.P.E. testing hold, can be another accessible option. The testing kits at the events test for HIV, Hep C, Syphilis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. Â
For students and community members 17 or older, there are self-test kits that can be mailed to their home through H.O.P.E. testing. The privacy and speed of the results can help reduce the uncomfortableness that some may feel about testing. People can also request to pick up an at home test at any of the testing events.Â
H.O.P.E. testing will help those who use its services through Project G.R.O.W. beyond testing. Caldwell said H.O.P.E. works alongside students who test positive. Â
âThey provide the education to students while theyâre getting tested, and then, should there be a positive, they also provide case management and follow up with that student,â Caldwell said.Â
H.O.P.E. reaches out to students to connect them with appropriate resources, whether that be the nearest health department or H.O.P.E. for an additional confirmatory test.
After the second test, the next steps are resolved with the state to manage the student’s health. Â
Project G.R.O.W. and H.O.P.E. testing will continue to provide resources to bring awareness to HIV and its impact on rural areas in Oklahoma. For OSU students, the next testing event on campus will be on March 27. Â
Contact Caldwell at (405) 564-2825 to find out more about how students can get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.