Health Services has more for students

Student Health Services at Cal State Long Beach is beginning the fall semester with new activities, more physicians, improved services and ongoing monthly programs.

"Students don't have to be sick to come to the Health Center," said Mary Byron Garcia, health educator. "We offer healthy choices and healthy alternatives for students" through a wide variety of education programs, she said.

New to Health Services this semester are two doctors, a registered nurse practitioner and a medical assistant. Garcia said a new computer appointment system is being implemented to allow receptionists to pull up doctors schedules and place students names right into the pre-programmed time slots. A direct line to the appointment desk has been installed for easy access. The new appointment number is (310) 985-1638.

Also new to the Health Center is a blue Scantron form that will replace the original white questionnaire that students used to complete before their appointments, Garcia said. "Hopefully, this will make it quicker when a student checks in at the Health Center," she said.

The Volunteer Fair at the end of September is also a recent addition to Health Services' many activities. The program will allow students to volunteer for agencies that correlate with their majors or in which they might have a special interest.

"This is going to be where all community agencies are invited to campus and students [can] pick an agency they want to volunteer for," Garcia explained. It is the first time anything like this has been done on campus to this magnitude, she added. Companies that will be in attendance will include the police department, health care agencies, the Traveler's Aid Society, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and many other non-profit agencies.

An open house is set for Sept. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the front lawn of Student Health Services. Games, prizes and refreshments will be available to students. Free HIV testing will begin Sept. 12 and will occur once a month. Results require two weeks for processing. Peer Health Educator training will take place on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Men's Health Fair will be Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the central quad. Different agencies will set up tables with information about men's health issues.

"People talk about women's health issues all the time," Garcia said, "Men are important, too; they have the same health needs women do."

Family Planning Orientation is an ongoing group program offered each Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The orientation is required before prescriptions will be issued for birth control pills or diaphragms. Students are only required to attend the orientation one time.

"[The orientation] is mostly to answer women's questions about how to use [birth control devices]," Garcia said, addeding that partners are welcome to attend.

Nutrition counseling is available by appointment on a one-on- one basis. Counselors are home economic seniors who are doing internships. Appointments must be made in person in waiting room one in Health Services.

Health Services hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with priority given to evening students and Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

For more information about these and other Health Services programs, call (310) 985-1732.