Health
Services offers quality, low-cost help
By
Jo Appleton
Daily Forty-Niner
A
good thing to be aware of if you are new
to Cal State Long Beach is the Student Health
Services that are available on campus.
The
CSULB Health Services center has in-house
licensed doctors and nurses and fully accredited
laboratories, X-ray facilities and a pharmacy.
Included
in the $35 student health fee, which all
students pay during registration, are basic
services such as doctor's visits, X-rays
and in-house lab work. Other services, such
as pharmacy costs and any outside reference
lab work are provided at augmented statewide
contract costs that are given to students
at the discounted rate.
"Our
purpose is to get and keep students healthy
and in school," said Victor Cannon,
budget and operations coordinator at Student
Health Services. "We are here to provide
health information as well as medical treatment."
A
misconception across campus and even across
the country is that university health centers
are merely "band-aid stations,"
said Larry Harvey, a registered nurse at
Student Health Services. "But we're
actually a fully ambulatory, well-rounded
facility and we invite students to take
advantage of what we have to offer."
For
many students who are just arriving on campus,
it is probably their first time accessing
health care by themselves, Harvey said.
So it is a good learning experience that
can prepare them for how to access health
care services once they graduate, he said.
One
of the popular health services offered is
the Men's Health Clinic, Cannon said is
an annual physical and lifestyle assessment
program aimed at establishing a more healthy
approach in maintaining wellness. Aside
from the $11.70 cost for a blood chemistry
screening, the program is free to CSULB
students.
The
same services are available to women, however
it has not been formalized, Cannon said.
The
university immunization requirements for
new students can be taken care of at Student
Health Services. Freshmen who are 18 years
old and younger on the first scheduled day
of class need to have the Measles/Rubella
and Hepatitis B immunizations, or provide
copy of medical or high school record showing
dates shots were given. Also, students can
sign a waiver for medical and personal religious
exemptions to being immunized. Students
over 19 years old need only to satisfy the
Hepatitis B requirement.
Other
services offered are sexual awareness workshops,
nutrition counseling, and an outreach presentation,
which covers birth control, STD's, alcohol,
tobacco, drugs and HIV testing.
Most
calls to the Health Services deal with the
common cold or flu, Cannon said. But the
clinic welcomes all questions and an advice
nurse is available during the day Monday
through Friday, he added.
Students
need not worry about their privacy either;
health services provided are strictly confidential.
Medical records are completely sealed and
only released with the patient's signature
of agreement.
The
Student Health Services clinic is located
on State University Drive, next to the dorms
and across from the Nursing Building. For
more information stop by the clinic or call
(562) 985-4771. For the immunization hotline,
call (562) 985-5411, or for an appointment
call (562) 985-1638. |
