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<\/a>Taylor Bembery<\/strong> Jackson State University celebrated National Black HIV\/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7 with a series of events to educate students about the epidemic that affects their community. The main event was the \u201cBattle of The Classes\u201d testing challenge which took place from 11 a.m. until 1p.m and was hosted by Project S.A.F.E, The Division of Student Life, and T.R.O.O.P. In the midst of this observation of National Black HIV\/AIDS awareness day, according to the most recent data released from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi\u2019s African Americans remain most likely to be diagnosed with HIV infection.<\/p>\n Dr. Nicholas Mosca, director of the MSDH Office of STD\/HIV, suggests that African-Americans are more likely to be in a situation where HIV status is unknown or disclosed.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who have sex outside of a long-term mutually monogamous relationship shouldn\u2019t \u2018guess\u2019 a partners status or rely on their honesty,\u201d said Mosca.\u201d Casual sex always requires the correct and consistent use of condoms and routine HIV testing after each sexual encounter to determine exposure to HIV infection.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin Patterson, an Intervention Specialist for Project S.A.F.E at JSU, said \u201cat black colleges and universities we have such a large population of African-Americans, this disease is affecting us more than any other ethnic group. So awareness for JSU students is crucial because colleges are where most people make some of the riskiest sexual decisions in their life.<\/p>\n \u201cSo if students are making risky sexual decisions and yet are afraid to talk about the issues relating to HIV then all we are doing is perpetuating the problem and making it even worse. So it is crucial that we not only talk about HIV but also provide tools for them so they can make better sexual decisions for their health.\u201d<\/p>\n Students can come and test at Project S.A.F.E\u00a0 in the Dolly M.E. Liberal Arts Building on the 1st floor and the Health Center on campus. Crossroads Clinic in the Medical Mall on Woodrow Wilson, and My Brother\u2019s Keeper, Building Bridges are several community organizations in the city that also provide HIV testing and most of them are free of charge.<\/p>\n In terms of accomplishments in the observation of National Black HIV\/AIDS awareness day, JSU has a stand alone HIV testing center.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t exist if we haven\u2019t proven ourselves to do this; we\u2019ve been doing it for six years.\u00a0\u00a0 The fact that we are here and able to test Monday through Thursday, every time we do one test, to me it\u2019s an accomplishment because its giving a person a chance to be empowered with their health status,\u201d said Patterson.<\/p>\n JSU has been able to work with students and identify people who are potentially infected.\u00a0 If people test positive then it gives the person the opportunity to make decisions about their health as well as help them to be careful with who they can potentially infect.<\/p>\n Henry Goss, a freshman mass communications major from Jackson, Miss., who is in the process of trying to become a peer health educator, shared\u00a0 how he feels about his peers and HIV Awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know if my peers are concerned even though it\u2019s a life threatening disease but as far as everyday awareness I don\u2019t think that many students are concerned,\u201d he stated.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, the great thing about the National Awareness Day is it gets more students involved about their health,\u201d said Goss.<\/p>\n Students can get involved with Project S.A.F.E by becoming a peer health educator. Students go to classrooms and educate their peers with presentations about HIV\/AIDS, help with the national awareness days, and different programs throughout the year.<\/p>\n For more information about Project S.A.F.E., call 601-979-1551, visit the website 10.14.12.245\/wethoughtyoushouldknow\u00a0 or visit the Facebook page at Project S.A.F.E. Information can also be obtained from the JSU Health Center; call 601-979-2260.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Taylor Bembery Blue & White Flash \/ Staff Writer Jackson State University celebrated National Black HIV\/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7 with a series of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_post_options":"{}","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1782\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBlue & White Flash \/ Staff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nHuman Immunodeficiency Virus short for HIV, can destroy so many CD4 cells that the body cannot fight infections and diseases. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS.<\/p>\n