By Kyle Wallace, Staff Writer
The Student Health Clinic soon will have a new home, thanks to the physician assistant program and the Kramer School of Nursing.
The west side of the Kramer School of Nursing West building is being converted from faculty and staff offices to the home of the new Campus Health Center.
Instead of only serving students, the health center will now offer services for faculty and staff, as well as their dependents.
Several students have had problems with the Student Health Clinic in the past. The operational change of the clinic can potentially result in improved services and student satisfaction.
“I went one time my freshman year because I had been sick for about a week and they told me it was just allergies,” said Tiffany Hopper, acting senior. “Three days later I was almost hospitalized because I had borderline pneumonia.”
Expansion of the clinic’s offerings is due to changes in operations said Dr. Dan McNeill, director of the physician assistant program.
“It’s greatly expanded and access much improved over the way it formerly operated,” McNeill said. “I think it’s been a very good move for students and employees.”
Prior to the changes, the Student Health Clinic served students with a registered nurse or nurse practitioner. But certified faculty in the physician assistant program will operate the Campus Health Center along with a staff nurse, under the supervision of a medical doctor.
Three faculty and three staff members were moved from Kramer School of Nursing West to the bigger Kramer School of Nursing East to allow for the construction.
“The nursing school has always wanted to participate in having a bigger health clinic here on campus,” said Lois Salmeron, dean of Kramer School of Nursing.
Kramer School of Nursing West will continue to house a computer lab for the Department of Education and a lab for nursing students.
The new Campus Health center is expected to open before the next academic year.
Leave a Reply