Students are required to pay a health fee of $116.50 per term that provides them access to the Health Center’s medical staff — but many students don’t utilize the services they pay for.
“A lot of students don’t realize they can use the Health Center’s services without having insurance,” University health educator Ramah Leith said.@@http://pages.uoregon.edu/uoshc/aboutus/staff/leith.html@@
This has influenced the University’s Student Health Advisory Committee, a group of about 20 students, to set a new goal for the 2011-12 school year, that focuses on reaching out to educate more student groups and organizations about the services provided by the Health Center.@@http://healthcenter.uoregon.edu/@@
Student voices
SHAC serves as a liaison between students and Health Center staff, providing feedback on issues regarding budget items, insurance plans, services and fees. The Health Center provides student with the opportunity to receive dental, lab, nutrition, physical therapy, X-ray and various other services for additional fees.
Sinjin Carey, a senior at the University and SHAC chairman,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Sinjin+Carey@@ said the committee is participating in larger campus events such as freshman orientation and working on projects such as their condom fashion show for World AIDS Day in December.
“Our main priorities include providing recommendations on setting the health fee, advising the Health Center staff and deciding on what to consolidate and what to expand on,” Carey said.
Each year, students are recruited during the spring term through an application process. SHAC and Health Center staff hold a meeting Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m. in room 21 to discuss various items.
“Around 20 students are part of the committee and they are responsible for representing about a thousand students each,” Health Center director Dana Mills said.@@http://vpsa.uoregon.edu/staff@@ “The advice they give the Health Center staff transcends as a legacy for incoming students.”
Julianna Han, a 20-year-old University junior, said the center’s services were helpful.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Julianna+Han@@
“It was convenient last spring when I needed allergy medications,” Han said. “I don’t have a car, so the center was more available.”
Han said SHAC is important because they voice the student’s opinions regarding health fees in particular, and it is a way to keep the Health Center’s services more affordable to a wide range of students.
Besides meetings and presentations, one of SHAC’s current projects includes the “Stress Survival Campaign,” which the committee plans on launching during winter term. The committee will also be providing information and options to students regarding the smoke and tobacco-free policy that will be taking effect next fall.
Mills said many SHAC members go on to careers in the health field because of their dedication and interest in health issues. They also gain valuable leadership skills by taking part in the committee.
“What makes us different from students downtown is we live and breathe student involvement and feedback about services,” Mills said. “They are one of the best sources we have to get feedback from students — and they touch about everything on this campus.”