North Carolina: State Works With Colleges on Testing and Prevention: State Officials Say More Funding Is Needed

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, M.P.H., 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."

Gray noted that 11 campuses already have peer educators. Those schools plan to add HIV/STD education as a component of their existing peer outreach.

Back to other news for December 5, 2003