Health center should expand

There is nothing more frustrating than feeling ill and not having adequate health care. This is the season for colds and flu galore, which also happens to be right around midterms. For most functional humans, sickness can make or break academic excellence. With a few coughs and sneezes the likelihood of studying looks grim.

Every student is automatically charged for the Health Center in the tuition, they pay regardless if they want it or use it. During this time of year, it is nearly impossible to get an appointment within the same week to be consulted by a professional. Pulling a balancing act with school, work, family and friends is not an easy task and waiting a week to be seen by a doctor can turn into one week too long.

Many students came to the University of La Verne with the ideal that being at a small school would equal more personal attention, which indeed it does, but when it comes to the Health Care, it needs improvement. Being that this is a private university, students should get what they pay for and deserve.

An estimated 1,275 students attend the University, 485 of whom live on campus. All students are expected to use the services of the Health Center. It is obvious that with the 485 students that are living in such close quarters, that the dorms are a breeding ground for germ spreading illnesses. After all, students use the same doors knobs, water fountains and bathroom facilities, which might as well be a science experiment on the infestation of germs.

Not only do sick students require medical attention, but athletes do as well. Every athlete has to have a physical examination in order to practice on their teams.

Now there is a competition between athletes and ill students to be able to see the doctor. With such waiting lists, now the sick students are infecting the healthy ones. If a student happens to be an athlete who is sick, than the odds of getting an appointment are greater. This is not the way it should work. Students should get appointments when they are sick. Waiting periods of a week or longer is simply inappropriate.

It is understood that an immense amount of pressure is placed on the shoulders of the Health Center’s small staff to provide adequate care, but that is exactly what they need to do.

It is easy economics: the demand of students for heath care should be met by the supply of staff. Yet it remains absent. The Health Center is opened for limited hours and the doctors have even less availability.

The University needs to aid the Center with the appropriate amount of staff in order to serve the students. If students are charged for the services of the Health Center then it only makes sense that they would be able actually use it.

If students had an option of paying for the Health Center then maybe understaffing would be more acceptable but since students are forced to pay for the services then the University should not be able to collect the check until they can shell out the service.

The health center needs to grow to fit the population of students. With the increase of new students entering the school year, the problem of receiving less than adequate care needs to be dealt with and not ignored.

Other Stories

Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Latest Stories

Related articles

Facilities to spend summer safeguarding science labs following gas leak

Early in the morning on April 30, students in Founders and Mainiero halls were evacuated due to a gas leak, after the fire alarm was pulled. The fire department arrived quickly to resolve the issue. 

Athletic gym renovation to be completed this summer

Materials have been left in preparation for renovations in the new athletic weight room in the Athletic Pavilion. In the meantime, student athletes must train outside near track and field where a temporary outdoor gym has been created.

Supertents celebrate 50th anniversary

The University of La Verne is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Supertents this year.

Campus has tepid interest in new Omicron booster

A recent informal survey on campus found that nine out of 21 students at the University of La Verne did not know anything about the newly updated  Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster that has been available since early September.