by Alisha Rosas
Editorial Director
In an effort to provide information to its students, a web site has been launched about the University of La Verne’s Health Center, the services it provides and the immunizations available at the center during the year.
The site www.ulv.edu/healthcenter also provides students with an opportunity to read insurance policies and coverage information.
“We are very excited about this information online,” said Cindy Denne, director of Student Health Services and Services for Students with Disabilities.
The Health Center provides treatment to the estimated 1,275 students who attend the University, 485 of whom live on campus. Currently the clinic is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays and is located at 2147 E Street.
If a student falls ill after hours, Denne said that Central Avenue Urgent Care in Montclair is where they should seek medical attention in case of an emergency. That clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Denne said that approximately 60 percent of the cost there is covered by the University. If it is after 8 p.m, treatment at Pomona Valley Medical Center is also covered by ULV’s insurance. Pomona Valley offers 15 percent discounts rates for ULV students.
“If a student resorts to going to Pomona Valley, I hope it truly is an emergency,” said Denne. “If it’s not and what’s wrong is something we can do here, then it’s a misuse of the system.”
A medical provider or physician aide is on-call at the Health Center on Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 9-11 a.m. on Fridays.
“No one who is truly sick will not be seen,” said Denne. “Typically a student will call, and our hope is if they cannot get in today, that they will get in tomorrow.”
Recently, Denne said that the center put out voice mails to the residents of ULV regarding flu shots. In November, the center provided 70 people with flu shots on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“We based that number on past years and added a few,” said Denne. “We only gave out a handful to students, it was mostly to staff members.”
Realizing that the Health Center’s staff of two nurses and four alternating medical provider/physician assistants is rather small compared to the population it serves, Denne said, “Staffing is never enough. We also do not use student workers, due to the concern over confidentiality. As the [school] population grows, I think that we need to add more hours and extend our time [the center’s open], that’s a given.
“We have a nice balance,” she said. “If we wanted to make a change, it wouldn’t be difficult to do. There are a lot of good nurses and doctors in this area. We could easily find someone.”
