Anthony Jacuzzi
Additional hours, new personnel and the September 11 terrorist attacks have caused a 40 percent increase in patients at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS), according to Dr. Laurie Reitman, director of SHCS.
But Reitman added that student demand has yet to be satisfied at SHCS; space limitations are still preventing many students from receiving immediate care.
In response, the office has continued to expand its general hours of operation and has also added hours to its physical therapy and counseling departments.
Although the administration has provided SHCS with two new offices upstairs in Umrath for counselors, the medical clinic and counseling services are still greatly hindered by their facilities, Reitman said. University administrators and SHCS are in ongoing meetings about the space issue, but have not announced concrete plans for how they might expand SHCS.
At the beginning of the semester, both physical therapy and nutrition appointments required at least a two week wait, but with the additional hours, students have scheduled appointments with less delay. The increase in hours available for appointments accounted for some of the increase in patient visitation.
New personnel account for another cause of the increased visitation, Reitman said. New doctors including internist Christine Craig attracted students’ attention with talks on the South 40, including one on sleep issues.
Students responded positively to such efforts as well as to treatment by these new physicians in the clinic. Some of SHCS’ new personnel are popular among students, and students have asked to see them multiple times.
Reitman was not surprised by the increase in visits, and she said SHCS is continually adding personnel and hours to meet increased student demand, allowing them to see more patients every year.
“Our numbers go up every year,” she said, although she did say that the increase was more than expected.
Reitman said that the September 11 attacks could also be related to the recent increase in visitations. She explained that counselors are seeing more anxiety in some students and that more students are coming in because of sleep troubles.
As efforts continue to confront student demand, Reitman asked that students help decrease wait-time by calling ahead to cancel appointments.
“We have what I would consider a high no-show rate,” she said. “Another student could have used that slot instead of having to wait a week or two weeks.”
She also asked that students be patient with the waits as SHCS tries to meet the high demand for its services.
“We are cognizant that the wait is longer than it was last year and we do everything we can to minimize that wait,” said Reitman.
The 40 percent increase accounts for the medical clinic portion of SCHS only and does not include the numbers of students using counseling services.
Contact Alli at [email protected]