Health Plan Board meets to discuss interim and request for proposal

Student Health Services has reached a critical transitional phase between its old method of operations and a new system to be adopted next school year.

With the retirement of College Physician Judith Appleton, effective Oct. 1, Health Services will begin renovations that will span the next several years.

A five-student and four-faculty member Health Plan Board met for the first time Thursday to discuss aspects of the new health plan request for proposal (RFP), which was drafted by an outside firm to determine the way in which Student Health Services will be handled. 20 outside bidders received the RFP and have a month left to place their bids to the College, according to student senator senior Dan Persky, a Board member.

The RFP included many innovative suggestions for the future, including a recommendation for a "self-help center" in which students can find a "medicine chest" full of basic home pharmacy needs available to them 24 hours a day. Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk, who facilitates Board discussions, also proposed the idea of incorporating the option of holistic medicine for students.

During the interim period between now and next year, however, students may find themselves at a large inconvenience as far as the amount of health care provided.

"The Board is more concerned with what will happen next year, but some students on the committee are worried about what's going to happen to us this year," Persky said. "We're concerned about making sure there's enough staff devoted specifically to students."

Effective immediately, Dr. Paul Birney will be assuming the role of primary physician with Dr. Victoria Evenhuis as his back-up, according to a statement released from the Oberlin Clinic to Associate Dean of Student Life and Services Kenneth Holmes. In addition, Nurse Practitioner Laura Hieronymus and back-up Nurse Practitioner Frances Smith will be on staff to meet students' medical needs.

The Student Health Service will temporarily move inside the main Clinic building, with its own waiting room, reception area, office and three examination rooms, according to the Clinic's statement to Holmes. The current Student Health Services office will be turned into an HIV-testing facility.

Although steps are being taken to make this interim period as easy on students as possible, students on the Board are anticipating difficulties.

"There are rumors going around that students can only make a doctor's appointment on three days out of the week. I've been hearing students are having a lot of trouble making appointments; for example, athletes are having trouble getting their sports physicals done on time," Persky said.

To facilitate faster changes, Persky and fellow Board member senator junior Meagan Willits are leading a Senate Advisory Council for all students interested in having a say in the new health care plan.

"Our goal is to raise student awareness. . .this is something that affects everyone," Willits said.

"We're really trying to find students who are interested so it's not just the five students on the Board making the decisions. We want to make sure all students get input, a good permanent location for the office is picked near the hospital, and most important, we want to make sure the quality of health care is high," Persky said.

In addition to concerns about this year's health care process, some Board members expressed concern about the relevance of the specific health care needs expressed in the RFP.

"Special mention was given in the proposal to students being able to have mammograms. This is strange because there's no student over 22 or 23 here," Persky said. "There aren't enough specifics being given to general medical care within the proposal."

"I thought the part of the proposal discussing mammograms and menopause was ridiculous. We should be far more concerned with working with HIV educators and educating about different methods of birth control," Willits added.

Stay healthy: The fate of Student Health Office is up in the air as the school considers its options for change. (photo by John Matney)