Over the past year UNCW’s Student Health Center has taken many steps to ensure that the caliber of its services matches that of its new facility. One particular area in which the SHC has made considerable efforts to improve has been sexual and reproductive health issues, specifically sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception for women.

Emergency contraception, commonly referred to as the “morning after pill,” has caused much controversy since becoming legal in the United States. Just last month, after much effort, the SHC was able to switch its brand of emergency contraception from Lo/Ovral to Plan-B, which has the potential to be 89 percent effective if taken properly.

“We have always wanted to use Plan-B because it is simpler, more effective, and there are less side effects,” Dr. Peter Meyer, Medical Director for the Student Health Center said.

Although the SHC does not keep statistics on the number of students that request emergency contraception, there has been a significant demand for it. According to Dr. Meyer, at least several women each week request EC.

“We try to make the access to Plan-B as easy and as streamlined as possible, and we expect the demand to increase,” said Meyer.

Last year students made 10,805 visits to the Student Health Center, and the numbers for this year have increased significantly, from 768 visits in August 2004, to 1,044 in August 2005.

The most common STD treated by the SHC last year was Chlamydia, with 23 reported cases. Herpes was second with 15 diagnoses, followed by four cases of HPV, and one case of gonorrhea. There were no diagnoses of syphilis, or HIV.

According to Dr. Meyer, these statistics do not accurately reflect the rates of sexually transmitted infections on campus. This is mainly due to the fact that many students receive medical attention elsewhere such as Urgent Care, clinics or family practices. Unfortunately, another reason is that in many cases infected persons can remain asymptomatic for years after being infected. It is estimated that one-fourth of people with HIV are unaware that they have contracted the disease.

“UNCW is not a hotbed of sexually transmitted infections, but it is still an area of concern that we need to closely monitor,” Dr. Meyer said.

Until recently the SHC did not conduct HIV/AIDS tests for students which was of notable concern considering the fact that North Carolina had the fifth highest number of new HIV infections in 2003 (among states with confidential name-based reporting), yet ranked only 12th in the rate of sexually active persons that reported having been tested for HIV, at just under than 50 percent, according the Kaiser Family Foundation.

However, last year due to a grant from Friends of UNCW, a volunteer organization aimed at helping the university, the SHC was able to launch an HIV/AIDS testing service and give 160 free tests to students. Currently, an HIV/AIDS test costs students $16. The test is confidential and consists of pre-test counseling, and a signed waiver which allows the SHC to report any positive test to the local health board, which they are required to do by law.

“I am pleased with the fact that students can now get tested for HIV at UNCW, in this day and age I feel it is utterly irresponsible for a health center in a campus setting not to offer HIV/AIDS testing for students,” student, Elizabe Stockton said.

Statistics released by the Center for Disease Control place North Carolina considerably above the national average of women ages 15-24 testing positive for Chlamydia. In 2003, 5.9 percent of females ages 15-24 tested positive for the disease, a 5.1 percent increase from 2002. The Chlamydia infection rate reported by the CDC is three times greater for females than males, which is partially due to the fact that women are far more likely to get tested than males. With the development of a new urine test for Chlamydia implemented in 1999, the rate of reported infections in men has increased by 46 percent.

This year the SHC received a $2,000 grant from Friends of UNCW to switch to the new Chlamydia test. The new test, which is more effective and far less invasive costs students $10, fifteen dollars less than the previous test.

“I think that it [testing] is important not only for the individual, but also for the community,” Meyer said. Additionally, he believes that the new developments in the SHC will cause the number of students agreeing to be tested to increase.