With youths aged 13 to 24 making up 21 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., according to the CDC, it’s no surprise that many HIV clinics are available to young people. Specifically, at the University of New Mexico, there are three HIV Education and Resource clinics that exist, today.
Located on campus grounds, the Student Health and Resource Center, the LGBTQ Resource Center and the UNM Truman Health Services Center all offer monthly testing.
Founded upon the mission of serving New Mexicans in need of HIV and gender services, UNM Truman Health Services center is located just west of University Boulevard and North of Las Lomas Road.
As part of Community Health Resources, rapid HIV testing is offered every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and walk-ins are encouraged. Results are produced in about 30 minutes and bilingual services are also offered.
For patients already diagnosed with HIV, UNM Truman Health Services offers a preparatory clinic that discusses access to preparation and educates people of medication that will reinforce protection. In addition to this, UNM Truman Health Services also participates in health fairs and methadone clinics amongst the Albuquerque community.
“Testing is the number one preventative method for the spread of HIV,” said Drew Hawkes, a Truman center employee.
Located east of Yale Boulevard on Las Lomas Road, the UNM LGBTQ Resource Center offers testing twice a month. On the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, students who call to schedule an appointment are helped from 10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and, after this, testing is opened up to walk-ins.
Testing takes around 20 minutes to complete and, during this time, students will receive a small prick on the finger. After, they will be asked to answer a few questions while they wait for their results to come back.
“It’s not like the old days, we have rapid testing now,” said Janice Devereaux, a UNM Junior and LGBTQ Resource Center employee.
For students interested in HIV testing at the SHAC, the center can be found east of the Student Union Building. At the SHAC, HIV testing is offered every second and fourth Thursday of the month.
Students interested in scheduling an appointment can log on to the Student Health Portal that can be found on the SHAC’s website. When arriving to the appointment, students will immediately take the test and spend about 30 minutes to an hour waiting for results. If a student comes back positive, the SHAC hosts an on-cite education session and offers resources specific to each student’s diagnosis.
All of these resources are free to students and are completely confidential between the service provider and the patient.
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Luisa Pennington is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @lulupenni.
