What Ybu Should Know About Health Centers
the l . of North ( arolma, students joke that 1! von don t have strep throat
(>r in< >n<>, d< jctors at t he campus health center w ill tit \ <hi w ith a set of crutches.
lint }>< " •! h< ill fi < ir ( is mu n t i fun jum t« wldci tor |< *ki s
l \( scll'inf kill) ( nstelln tlnt'sll t p < ' l n tile health
reiiier juvmtin unless it's .in emerpenes She s.i\s .1
t,minus phvMt'un mistli.ii'nt'M'il .1 l»enipii evst .is .1 t .in
1 < unis Im .1st lump ,iml, mi .1 separate s tstt, prest rilx'tl
llleillt me tll.il 1 .inst il .1 ilmp le.ution. lilt'll I.llleil In
1 eeiipm/e the prulilelll "I'm ilevei h.nl .un pood espe
1 lent i s there, she sas s
Stinlenl liejllh tenters have lunp been put in the
s.inie 1 .Hep' its is thump lulls t he.ip .mil ne.11 In , lint
in it him! In 1 .it e tin mi 111 iu e\ 1 1,1 tin 11 threeti irs insist
stinlenl smuts ut tenters .ire mustls lasmuhlt Judith
< nii.iii, thretlni "I lilt teiitei .it l \< s.us sunns
there shoss 00 pertent nt sltnlenls .tit satisfied ssilh
the tin I lies ret else lint tin tnmentiniul ssistli nil nt
enllepe sttnlents seems In reiltlet 1 sninessh.it illHerellt
pit tun
When Mesis llesh.it.i sunt in ,1 Rutpers l health
t til lei ti 11 .111 -i 1 hie 1 u pin sit .il, she ss is shtK ketl ss run .1
center workci tout net siu was pregnam
I .nrr. she disc meted tin ( cniii had
mixed up her drug 11 %i with a preenatux
list
“I iust t<ihi them. I know im Unix bet
tit than \ oil tin l nless there was an
iiiiin.H ulati oiturptmn, 1 * an t hr pt< .
nant. Beshura. .1 I rt adu.iu . told the
Kutu’iis l l),n A I .n . urn
Budget iuts haw- forced centers 1«» I a \
oft plusk ians anil hunt sitvu rs, h ailing
to student complaints about long waits,
poor 1 an anil misdiagnoses I un more
troubling air lawsuits pending in
( ahforma anil \ew N *»r U that Nairn
health center negligence in 1 lie ileath "t
two students
• ( handfa Mi/ell. a student at tin l of
( ahtomia. Santa ( ill/, dud of a cerebral
hemorrhage after using birth control pills
which a health centei doctor prescribed
foi hei 1" days earlier Mi/ell s chart at
the camnus health center revealed hei
mother h.til onu- sutteted .1 stroke. .1 wartnnu sum tot
doctors pt cscribint: tin pill Both Mi,'t il .util het
mother h.nl antitht ombm III dcliucncx. 1 1.1 re- hitmni
1 Itittnu; distinlet
• Robert Mlman It . .1 student it the State l ot
Nett Milk, Mh.ins, thetl altet the campus health eet)
let's stall tailed to realize he had ruptured Ins spleen
Mlman s intirman roommate tohl \, .. uljy that
Mlman complained to tin nurse ahout his stotnai It
pants anil she “brushed it ott
While doctors acknowledge that mistakes happen
thev sat misdiagnoses alltl othet problems are no more
pit talent m eampus health tenters than at hospitals or
othet ilmus Student inexperience ami intseointmuu
t atton are more likelv factors m eotnplamts, according
to doctors and tenter dueetors who were interviewetl
ft 11 this article
" I he actual cases ot misdiagnoses are not as high as
siiu ssuuld expect hum student suinplamls - i\s I )i
it r ii t i \ iikoson i 1-4 sear setcian ut tin l N< s
health icntci "Wli.it tins sc put i*. ,i . uiii .1 in i »!ut
tiles want IN all a n 111 nut u But it's nut tailed tur
I herctore it sun don't l’isi me m antihiutti when I sc
put a mid. sun re a li.ni doctor
WHO S OVERSEEING YOUR CENTER3
( uin|ilamtN .iix>m Ntuilcnt health tenters are disturb
mg, considering a rrtulatots system that is meunsis
tent at lust Must states tci|Uire hospitals. nursing
hi lines an.I uthei health .are orga ni i at lulls lu In
lieenseil an.l inspeited annually, hut tin lasss sals
trum stati tu state and mans ut the estimated Idol!
e a 11111 n s icnteis ate exempt trum sin It oversight
While then- is nuthmt; to mdiiate that student health
centers utli I hiss e 1 quallts i at e than hospitals and
ssalL m elintis, problems in tin venters raise umiems
alh nit the regulators loophnlt
Mini.m s death raised these ipiestiuns in Ness TotE.
r<*v
The regulatory system for student health centers Is inconsistent it best.
white student health (.emits ate outside the purview
ill the state health department " I hcv- kinds ot tnei
dents eertamlx |K)iiU out w h.it would Ik- .1 problem,
sax s William lagel. a New Nork lu-.ilth department
spokesman " 1 lute It.ne iteen a eoupic ot other mil
(lints Lit institutions! where tsails the si hool is tin
only oversight, where they're ottering the same sort ot
serviees as a walk in 1 him But e\en alter Mlman s
death, the health department did not have lurisdutioil
to itnestigate
North ( arolina statutes require unannoumed
mspei tn ms ot most health eare organi/ations. mi dud
mg hospitals, nursing homes, home eare ageneies and
ambulatory surgic al tat times, aeeording to Jesse
( loodman ot the state t.u ilities In ensure ottiie
I low ever, eauipus health tenters are exempt trom this
oxersight I he same is true m O other states
Manx ot the larger tenters are required to lie
luensed, beiause tliex are lonsnlered amhulatorx eare
units, according tu Doll Peters. president ot the
\mtTiun ( ollege Health Vssoetation.
Larger centers mat opt to lie rcsiexxed In eitherthe
\sxot ution lot the Vcc.re.dita.tion ot Yinbulatotx
Healthcare ot the Joint ( ntnimssion tin tlu
\i i reihiation ol Healtll < are Organizations. Both set
high standards tor memlier organizations, hut at t retli
latum is time consuming, anti, tor mam universities,
prohihitix els expensive ( )nI\ about s centers are
at t rethteti.
Shoultl students he concerned about health centers
that art not subnet to state regulation or accredit.!
turn Medical specialists art split oxer the issue
"Problems happen. Inn some are preventable," saxs
(linger Whitlock, tilt ilitector ot ambulators can
at creditation services at thi |( \l IO ' I have com erns
a)h»ut those |t enters] that haxe not been looked at In a
third parts anil the lex el ot t are tlu x are providing
But veil Vs Peters doesn't think regulation ot
smallei centers is netessarx “ I he collect s that are not
accmlitcil an m>t provide ma|or care t lie care
thc\ provide there cannot put students .it tick
\nil even tl .1 universHv’s centet isn't state
licensed, the physicians anil specialists admims
tcring the cate must lie licensed to practice lit
the state.
Peters savs he is not aware ol am push to rep
ulate all student health centers and President
( Imton s health i are letorin plan iloes not
address the issue
THE BUDGET QUANDARY
Budget cuts have caused some ot the problems
students address I he combination ot rising
health care msts and dwindling state funding
has put universities and health centers in a
bind < uthacks have toned student health cell
ters to eliminate plnsicians, curtail services and
sharer tor venues iiormallv covered In student
tees
1 In l ot \n/ona. which has a student |xrpu
lalion ot mole than was the victim ot a
.’ll |k rc cut c ut m state monev tor three consec u
live vears Spiraling health care costs only made
m.nu ts worse, .nilirdmg in I )i slurras 1 >e srinoml,
direilor of (lie health tinier a! \ri/uru
"It doesn i take lunij tin tuts to atteit sersites,
l)e\riimml viis Between l *>*> I anil l'W> Vri/ona
unloaileil seven ot 20 lull time health laeilitalors.
including a phssician, nurse, phssical therapist atnl
nurse prai ntiuner
Sttulents tell the tuts last year, uniting up to an hour
anil a halt hetore being treated Vri/ona junior
Kimhcrlv Kaylor went to the lampus health tenter
with ihe llu, onl\ lo lie toll) to return in three tlavs
She U nr a iw eil S 1 INI to see a phssitian in I use on
" I he people are wonderful, well trained and tar
ing,” she sass ot the tenter’s siatt. "Hut [the
university) lust doesn’t have the taeihties to serve all
the students.”
Ihe universits has promised more mimes over the
next tew sears, and I)e.\rinond is hiring hack phssi
continued on page 21
By David Kinney, //><’ cwxciTcr, L. ot r\»irc Manic