The Student Health Center will undergo a revitalization and change in location over the next few semesters, Health Center Director Bethany Chiaramonte said Thursday night.
At a Town Hall Forum, Chiaramonte, who is in her first year as the health center director, outlined her four-tiered plan for improving the center's often-criticized services.
Her plan includes a revamping of access, interaction, reliability and vitality. The Health Center will also move from its current location in Nebraska Hall to McCabe Hall, where larger facilities will be available by January 2005.
Included in this new space will be a library and a Wellness Center to house health educators. There will be one area dedicated specifically to women's health.
Student Confederation President Nick Terzulli said that Chiaramonte's energy has brought a "new sense of spirit and cooperation to the Health Center."
Students at the forum also expressed excitement over the new plans. In the past, they said, there have been numerous issues with the services provided by the Health Center.
Junior Rick Cohen said he heard of the planned improvements, but his experiences with the Health Center have made him wary to return.
"The times I went, it was either 'take two Tylenol or go to Suburban Hospital,'" Cohen said. He said that the two times he was sent to Suburban Hospital, which is in Bethesda, Md., he was misdiagnosed.
In reaction to student complaints about Suburban Hospital, the Health Center is now negotiating for a partnership with Sibley Hospital, Chiaramonte said.
Former AU student Shannon McMinn said that in the past she has not been happy with the care she received at the Health Center.
"When they took my blood, the nurse hit a vein and blood went all over the floor-I mean spurted out of my body," McMinn said. "And she said, 'Don't worry. It happens all the time.'"
Chiaramonte said that having a doctor around at all times and adding scheduled appointments would address service problems. That way, students can build a relationship with the health care providers and avoid explaining their health issues multiple times to several different staff members.
At other District colleges, like George Washington University, Student Health Clinic officials receive similar complaints.
Ross Mankuta, GW's associate vice president for Student Support Services, said that like AU's Health Center, hours are limited and many students request longer business hours.
However, GW's clinic, which sees between 17,000 and 19,000 students each year, is open on Saturdays.
AU's Health Center is open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Chiaramonte said that weekend hours will be a possibility once the new site in McCabe Hall opens.
Mankuta said that other complaints from GW students include long waits for walk-in patients and the view that "perhaps the doctors take a conservative approach when it comes to testing and treatment"
