ASU Campus Health Center Proposed by SGA

By: Ashley Whitaker

Posted: 2/23/10

Students with a case of the sniffles may soon be able to find a remedy for their ills on campus.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is working on a resolution that will approve a health clinic to open shop on campus. The project is in the planning stages, but those involved said that not only is a health clinic "conceivable," but it could open within the next 2 years.

"We have been looking at other schools, what they offer, and how much the students there pay for those things," said Maritess Banez, SGA president and a junior nursing major. "Augusta State University has always prided itself on having some of the lowest fees in the state. I know our students already complain about the fees they have now, when they don't realize, like, how much lower those fees are than at other universities."

Opening a health clinic has always been a goal for Banez, and she said the topic was first suggested at the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting that the school holds every summer. The meeting is essentially a large-scale faculty meeting that discusses goals for the upcoming school year, as well as changes within the Board of Regents.

"One of the activities we did this year was to compare ourselves to other universities," Banez said. "And one of the biggest things we noticed, when looking at fees, is that everyone had some sort of health fee, except for us."

Banez said that the scale of health services at other universities is widely varied, with some schools just offering a center to distribute Aspirin and Band-aids, and others, like Georgia Tech, having more advanced services, with access to "tons" of health related machines.

Banez is currently working with the SGA senate to come up with a clear resolution that will start highlighting what Augusta State wants for it's facility, including placement and services. As of right now, Banez said she would be happy to start with a place to distribute bandages and pain medication, but that the center could eventually offer HIV tests, vaccinations and contraceptives.

"We've looked at a lot of different universities, and we've seen everything from it being a doctor with a staff of RNs, to having something where it is just a head RN, and using nursing students from the school," she said.

The goal of the student senate in the upcoming weeks and months is to connect with students and gauge what their needs are. Banez said that another important factor to consider is "cost versus services," meaning that it needs to be clear what students are going to get for the price they will be paying.

"You know, you wouldn't want to pay an extra $20 just to get Band-aids and Tylenol," she said. "But if you knew you could get so many things there, you would be willing to pay more."

Part of planning out the prices of services and figuring out what the fee would be, is coming up with a direct plan of action for the health clinic, according to Banez. SGA and other school officials would need to come up with a plan that states what services are going to be given, and by whom, as well as a location for a health clinic.

Banez said that she wants the center to have "a home of its own," and stated that the building next to Dean Joyce Jones's office could work, but Jones said that putting the health center in a new building would probably delay its opening. She added that the cost would be severely affected by who was chosen to run the center.

"A health clinic that would involve a physician and a separate facility is extremely expensive," Jones said. "We talked about having something, like, on campus, but it would probably not happen within say, 2 years, because you would have to have accreditation, and all of that. The nursing school seems like a more realistic possibility."

Jones said that putting the health center in the new nursing buildings, which will be located on Wrightsboro Road, would make the clinic more affordable and would allow nursing students to accrue practical experience in their field. Since these new buildings are still in the planning stages, Jones pointed out that a health center could easily be incorporated.

Jones went on to say that she envisioned a health center that can be staffed by nursing students and staff, and that could be made as part of a clinical program. She said that the students could perform services such as stitching, vaccinations and health check-ups. Overall, she approved of opening a health center for Augusta State students.

"I certainly hear a lot of students who come here who would profit from and would like a health care center here because either they don't have health insurance, or can't afford medical treatment," she said.

Jones is not the only faculty member to approve of a student health center. James Tanner, coordinator of leadership and Greek life, said that students are incredibly busy, and don't take the time to take care of their health. For these reasons, Tanner said that a health center for students is something he would "love to see."

"I think if not completely free, but affordable health care, like, just primary health care for students, is a definite must," he said. "I know we're hypothesizing a lot here, but if I have a break between classes, maybe it's a hour break or a couple of hours, I can walk over there and let them check this out, especially if it is a free service from the university. Why not?"

Tanner said that the only problem he can foresee is a lack of funding, and agreed with Jones about putting the health center in a preexisting building rather than creating a new structure.

"I am not involved with the master planning of the university," he said. "I don't know what their timeline is. If they want a new building, it could take a substantial amount of time to happen because building projects like that actually have to go to the Board of Regents and get improved. With the budget woes, getting a new building would be an interesting endeavor. But if they could find preexisting space on campus to start something, I think they could have something up and running relatively quickly."

Aleesha Mincey, a sophomore Alpha Delti Pi sorority sister, said that having a health center on campus for students would bring more students to Augusta State.

"We are the only college campus in the Peach Belt Conference that does not have a health care clinic on campus," Mincey said. "And I know that is, not having a health clinic, a big issue for parents who have their sons and daughters coming here, and there's no health clinic. It was a big problem for my parents because I am not from here (Augusta)."

Banez agreed with Mincey.

"If we want to become one of those major universities where students come from other states and other areas, they need a place they can go if they're ill," Banez said.

One of the biggest questions many students have is: 'Why did it take so long for Augusta State to even consider opening a health clinic for its students?' The answer to this question, according to Banez, lies in the type of campus Augusta State is. Traditionally, the school has had more of a commuter campus, with students living off campus, with family close by.

"The past couple of years, especially with the student housing booming and our admissions taking students that originally live hours away, has created a scenario where the students would have to move here to Augusta and would not be able to commute back home to go the doctor. It just becomes more and more important to have a health center," Banez noted.

Banez also stated that the death of Augusta State student, Kristen Thompson, in January has served as "push" to get a resolution for the heath center completed. Thompson and Banez were sisters through Alpha Delta Pi, and Banez said the two were "very close." Banez said she thinks that a health center will help prevent the untimely deaths of students like Thompson.

"It's kinda like you're always thinking about something, or working for it, but when something happens, it's more of a push," she said.