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State Works with Colleges on Testing and Prevention: State Officials Say More Funding Is Needed
AIDS Alert
12.01.03
NORTH CAROLINA - The recent discovery of an HIV outbreak among students across
a network of state universities has created a public health challenge in North
Carolina. Operating on a shoestring budget, the state has implemented Project
Commit to Prevent (PCP), a collaboration with 12 minority colleges to provide
HIV/STD prevention and risk-reduction education programs on campus, enhance
the capacity of health services on campus, and strengthen links between such
institutions and other HIV/STD service providers, said Phyllis Gray, MPH, project
manager in the N.C. Division of Public Health.
The state agreed to provide $111,000 in funding for the program on campuses
where new HIV cases have been identified recently. The public health branch
will provide additional money, but available funds do not cover such services
as rapid testing.
Despite funding challenges, PCP has been well received on campuses and is
beginning to succeed with some of its HIV prevention goals, Gray noted. State
health officials have helped
colleges set up on-campus HIV testing; the state lab will analyze the blood
free of charge.
The health department trained college representatives in pre- and post-counseling,
and it offers continuing assistance as the colleges implement their testing
programs.
One school developed an assessment of students' HIV knowledge and risk behaviors,
and it was distributed to the project coordinators on each campus. "Our
goal is to get as many surveys done as possible," Gray said. "Everyone
is aiming for 300 to 400 surveys per campus, and each campus will receive their
own information."
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