With pamphlets neatly arranged around a column, a messy magazine rack and plastic plants to add color, the Student Health Services office resembles any doctor’s office. But what sets this 6500 square-foot clinic apart is the large plastic bowl of free condoms on a table with a sign reading, “Please limit to 10 per visit.”
The clinic, located at the south end of the Breezeway in Room 240, offers Florida Atlantic University students a convenient and cost-effective way to receive medical attention. It currently consists of three parts: a general medical clinic, a Dental Clinic and a Women’s Health Clinic.
A fully functioning pharmacy that will feature discounted medications is slated to open in the fall of 2004.
“It will be like a little Eckerd with over-the-counter medications as well as prescriptions,” Registered Nurse Cathie Wallace, who has been the Student Health Services director for the past seven years, says.
The future site of the pharmacy will be the current Student Services office, located directly across from the clinic. The Career Development Center will be moving into the building in front of the University Center, so the Health Promotional Area and the pharmacy will be able to move into the old offices.
The pharmacy is important because it allows the University “to be competitive with other state universities,” says Wallace, who previously taught in the FAU College of Nursing. “It will be one more tool in providing health services.”
Concurrent with the opening of the pharmacy, Wallace says the clinic will be able to accept many insurance plans. Currently FAU offers two University-sponsored insurance plans: one for U.S. students and another for international students. Both will still be accepted by the new pharmacy.
Another improvement that Wallace is seeking, weekend hours, has not yet been approved.
Wallace says the clinic employs two full-time and two part-time board-certified physicians, and two full-time and two part-time nurse practitioners. Most of the medical staff has had between 15 and 20 years of experience.
Over 9,000 people visited the clinic last year and that number is expected to grow because studies have shown that if patients come once, they will most likely come back at least one and a half more times.
“It’s very convenient and I had a good experience the first time, so I came back,” junior Nelson Antoine says. “I just wish they had better hook-ups with the referral doctors.”
Statistics show that on average, patients are in and out of the clinic within an hour.
For students who don’t need or don’t have time for an appointment, the clinic offers a “self-care” station with bandages, Advil, Bacitracin, Tylenol, and antacids.
“I like that it’s right here on campus but they don’t cover catastrophic things and I’d like to see that implemented,” junior Nathan Clark says.
Proud of the fact that FAU is the only state university in Florida with a dental program, Wallace says, “We now do fillings and bonding and the number of people visiting is up 40 percent from last year.” X-rays and oral examinations also are available at discounted prices.
Senior Jodie Simmons notes, “The dental plans offered are really cost-effective but they don’t do root canals or crowns. Maybe that’s something the school could look into next.”
Another service of which Wallace is proud is the Women’s Health Clinic. It offers breast, pelvic and Pap smear exams, birth control pills and sexually-transmitted disease (STD) testing. The Women’s Clinic also seeks to provide a variety of useful programs.
“It’s cheap and I like the staff,” Simmons says.
Freshman Tracy Walker comments, “I like having the medicines here instead of having to go to a pharmacy.”
Any registered student is entitled to be a patient at the clinic, and by paying a $60 visitor’s fee students can use the services over the summer when they are not enrolled in classes. However, after graduation students are no longer eligible.
“The budget for all of the Student Health Services programs totals a little over $2 million for the year, with 98 percent of the funding coming from the student health fee, which is $5 per credit hour” Wallace says.
Among other programs offered is the Wellness Advocate Volunteer Educators (WAVE). Designed to offer educational information and peer education and counseling, WAVE is growing in popularity. It holds workshops on time management, stress management, procrastination busting, test anxiety, and tips for taking multiple-choice tests.
Wallace notes that the mission of the clinic is “to offer students reasonably-priced, affordable health care with ready access. Our goal is to offer health education and prevention measures. We want to educate students on how to use the health care system appropriately and assist students with health care so they can stay in school until graduation.”
For more information on Student Health Services call 561-297-3512 or log on to www.shs.fau.edu.
