Sexual Wellness & Healthy Relationships

Pick up free condoms and dental dams at the Hood College Health Center or from the Director of Wellness in Apple 4. 

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you need to get tested for an STI or HIV. If you or your partner have any symptoms, or if you're worried that you may have contracted one, you should be tested. Fortunately, there are many resources available to you!

1. The Violet Project: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a hidden epidemic. Concerns about stigma and privacy stop many people from getting the tests and treatment they need which can lead to serious health problems. The Violet Project offer free, accurate, and confidential in-home specimen collection and lab-based testing for three common STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea and trich. Request your free, confidential test here. 
2. Hood College Health Center: Provide testing and treatment for STIs and testing for pregnancy (no appointment necessary). These services are billed to a student's health insurance. In addition, the Health Center also stocks an assortment of internal and external condoms and dental dams available for free to Hood students.  
   • Phone: 301-698-8374, option 1, then hold
   • Location: 501 W. 7th St. Frederick, MD
3. Frederick County Health Department: Offers free, confidential OraQuick Rapid HIV testing. Call 301-600-3342 to schedule an appointment. The health department is located a couple miles from campus at 350 Montevue Lane, Frederick, MD, 21702.
4. The Frederick Center distributes at-home HIV Test Kits, for a $20 donation. The Test Kits are used in the privacy of your home with a simple swab inside your cheek, with 20-minute results and 90 percent accuracy. The Frederick Center is located at 25 East Second Street, Frederick, MD, 21702 and you can reach them at thefrederickcenter@gmail.com.
5. Care Net of Frederick provides confidential and free support for pregnancy testing, pregnancy confirmation ultrasounds, pregnancy options consulting, abortion pill reversal information, STD/STI testing & treatment, parenting classes for Mom & Dad, unplanned pregnancy support for men, support after abortion, maternity & baby items, and many more! They are located at 707 North Market Street and can be reached at 301-662-5300.
6. Birthright of Frederick offers free pregnancy tests, maternity and baby items and provides referrals for medical support, counseling, childbirth, adoption, prenatal care and more. Call the 24/7 helpline at 1-800-550-4900 or visit them at 250 W Patrick Street. 
7. Planned Parenthood of Maryland offers testing, diagnosis and treatment for: bacterial vaginosis, chlamydia, genital warts, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV (testing and diagnosis only), syphilis, trichomoniasis. Costs vary from $0 to $200. (Testing is free for those under the age of 20.) 

Healthy relationships bring out the best in you and make you feel good about yourself. A healthy relationship does not mean a “perfect” relationship, and no one is healthy 100% of the time, but these 10 signs of a healthy relationship from the One Love Foundation are behaviors you should strive for in all of your relationships.

While everyone does unhealthy things sometimes, we can all learn to love better by recognizing unhealthy signs and shifting to healthy behaviors. If you are seeing these 10 unhealthy signs from the One Love Foundation in your relationship, it’s important to not ignore them and understand they can escalate to abuse. If you think you are in a dangerous situation, trust your gut and get help!

• Intensity - When someone expresses extreme feelings that feels overwhelming. 
• Manipulation - When someone tries to control your decisions, actions or emotions.
• Sabotage - When someone purposefully ruins your reputation, achievements or success. 
• Possessiveness - When someone is jealous to a point where they try to control who you spend time with and what you do.
• Isolation - When someone keeps you away from friends, family or other people.
• Belittling - When someone does or says things to make you feel bad about yourself. 
• Volatility - When someone has strong, unpredictable reaction that makes you feel confused, scared or intimidated.
• Betrayal - When someone is disloyal or intentionally acts in a dishonest way. 
• Guilting - When someone makes you feel responsible for their actions or makes you feel like your job is to keep them happy.
• Deflecting Responsibility - When someone repeatedly makes excuses for their unhealthy behavior. 

Learn more about healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, setting boundaries and supporting friends in a relationship from the One Love Foundation or LoveisRespect.org.

More than 1 in 3 women, 1 in 2 trans and nonbinary individuals, and 1 in 4 men in the United States has experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. When someone is a survivor of Intimate Partner Violence, it is important to offer trauma informed support. Even well-intentioned conversations, questions, and suggestions can cause the survivor to feel judged and isolated from their social support network. There are ways to safely intervene to protect those around you and potentially save lives.

• Establish trust with the survivor by telling them you believe them and their story. 
• Encourage, but do not force the survivor to seek help. Many survivors consider getting help and leaving several times before actually doing so.
• Know your limitations. Seek support for yourself while supporting a loved on. Call the 24-hour hotline at 301-662-8800 to speak with a trained professional.
• Help your loved one to create a safety plan. 
• Offer unconditional support. 

These resources are here to help you or a friend when in need. 

• Heartly House - Heartly House has been the only organization in Frederick County, MD that provides comprehensive services, free of charge, to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and child abuse. Call the 24-Hour Hotline at 301-662-8800.
• LoveisRespect.org - Trained advocates are available 24/7 to offer support, education, and advocacy to teens and young adults (as well as friends and family) with questions or concerns about dating and relationships.
• Forensic Nursing Unit at Frederick Health Hospital - If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or violence, Frederick Health’s Forensic Nursing team offers private care in a safe place. Get in touch with our nursing team by calling 240-566-HELP (4357) to reach the forensic nurse on call. Watch this video to learn more about the forensic services available at Frederick Health Hospital. 
• Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741741
• Crisis Text Line for Students of Color - Text STEVE to 741741
• Trans Lifeline - 1-877-565-8860

If you are in danger, call 9-1-1 for emergency response.