Health Care Should Not Be Limited to Students
Photo by Megan Silva
Seven days of the week is the minimum
This is not criticism, but an opinion that demands a change and advice to improve the safety of students and workers.
As students, our health is the most important thing and we should always be aware of it. For all of us who live on campus, we are exposed to all the illnesses that can spread quickly in the residential communities. Those who do not live here may be lucky enough to avoid the spread of sickness, but could still get injured while walking on campus or start to feel ill while in classes. Luckily, our university has a facility that provides support during the day and where students can go if they need any kind of medicine or immediate help. Unfortunately, this facility closes at 4pm and is not open on weekends. The health services should be available seven days of the week and 24 hours a day.
If anyone has a minor accident, such as a fall on the floor or a headache and needs medical aid, I regret to tell you that you will not be able to receive help unless the person is able to make it to the Cowell Wellness Center before 4pm. The only option to get medical assistance after 4pm is to go to the Emergency Room. For international students, they have no choice but to stay with the pain since insurance only covers 10% of the total cost, which can make an appointment cost up to $400.
The support of the Wellness center at Pacific is full of nurses and assistants willing to help injured or sick students. However a big drawback is that it is not open for longer hours throughout the day and it is not open on the weekends. Nobody controls when you have an accident or catch a cold, so not having a health center open on the weekends limits the students ability to seek quick health to medical emergencies.
As students, we cannot control when accidents happen or when we get sick, but we should be taken care of, and the facility should be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pacific is a university that hosts many students from different states and countries, who may not have a set healthcare provider, so there should be reliable care provided at every hour of the day for those students.
The health of each student is important, and every little ache and complaint should be validated by having the Wellness Center open for 24 hours and throughout the weekends. The number of workers that the establishment has is insufficient, and the hours that are available is once in a while. From this point of view, how can we be possibly sure that our health is going to be safe?
The school is able to supply the students with 24-hour security but unable to provide students with 24-hour healthcare. Although calling for emergency services can be helpful, for menial injuries or sickness that just needs the assistance of more medicine, it is not worth calling Public Safety.