University Health Center Director Dr. Gerald Fleischli knows that health isn’t always at the top of college students’ priorities. If the cost of a doctor’s visit meant not being able to afford ordering a pizza, for example, he said, some students might opt for the cheese and pepperoni.
But with just a $6 minimum charge for an office visit, the price of visiting a doctor at the health center is low enough not to keep most students from coming in when they need to, he said.
“The idea is to keep the barrier to entry down,” he said.
Low costs and convenience — all charges can be billed directly to a student’s University account — are not the only ways in which the health center attracts students.
Like other college medical clinics, Fleischli said, education is also emphasized at the health center.
On Sept. 20, the health center will hold its annual open house to let students know what kinds of health-related services are available at the center and on campus, Health Center Education Director Paula Staight said.
Although the open house is primarily aimed at new students, anyone interested is welcome to come, she said. Throughout the day, tours of the facility will be given, and visitors can learn about the types of services the health center offers.
Representatives from various campus services, including the University Counseling Center, Sexual Assault Support Services, and Physical Activity and Recreation Services will also be on hand to answer students’ questions.
As an added incentive, Staight said, refreshments will be served, and there will be a raffle drawing for prizes.
By raising awareness about the services available on campus, health center officials hope to encourage students to use them, she said.
“Ideally, if [students] know us and know where we’re at … they’re more apt to come back when they need us,” she said.
Last year, Fleischli said, nearly two-thirds of University students visited the health center. All students pay for health center services indirectly because the facility is subsidized by incidental fees.
With the exception of major surgery, he said, the health center provides nearly all medical services students might need.
Physicians on staff at the health center specialize in a variety of fields, including family practice, internal medicine, sports medicine, allergy and asthma, and psychiatry.
Nurse practitioners provide women’s gynecological services, such as annual breast and pelvic examinations. They also prescribe all birth control methods, including emergency contraceptives, and provide pregnancy testing and counseling.
Students suffering from allergies or asthma can meet with a board-certified allergist for treatment and evaluation. There is also a travel clinic, which provides students with immunizations and medical information they need before traveling abroad.
Physical therapists and athletic trainers are on staff to treat orthopedic and sports-related conditions. There is also a dental clinic that provides basic dental services and education.
Mental health counseling is available from staff psychiatrists, who work closely with therapists in the University Counseling Center, said Leslie Lowe, an administrative assistant in the counseling center.
Housed in the same building as the health center, the counseling center also offers psychological health care to students. After an initial drop-in session, students are assigned to a regular counselor and can make appointments, said counseling center office manager Gwen Jansen.
In addition to providing individual therapy, a large focus of the counseling center is on outreach, Jansen said. Throughout the year, the counseling center sponsors workshops and presentations on topics requested by students. In the past, those topics have included issues such as eating disorders, suicide, learning disabilities and sexual assault.
“We look at our service as providing community health,” Jansen said.
The counseling center staff members include ten Ph.D. certified psychologists, as well as graduate students and interns who are completing pre-doctorate practicums. Psychologists cannot write prescriptions, but if drug treatment is recommended, students will be referred to a psychiatrist in the health center.
A full service retail pharmacy at the health center sells both over-the-counter and prescription items at a reduced price.
About six months ago, the pharmacy began an online service that allows students to refill or transfer prescriptions over the Internet, pharmacy intern Soren Rounds said.
While the new service has not been heavily used so far, he said, those who do use it save time because their prescription is ready for them when they come in to pick it up.
The health center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Tuesdays, when it opens at 9 a.m. On weekends, the health center is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
After hours, calls to the health center are transferred to a nurse in a Seattle triage center who can answer questions and tell callers whether their medical condition requires immediate attention.
The health center open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 20. For more information or to make an appointment, call 346-2770.