The Sandspur

Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: News

Ever since Rollins College was founded in 1885, there has been a strong program on campus to insure the well being of students.
Changes have taken place over the 122 years since then, but the services offered by the DuBois Health Center -- named so after recent grants from the DuBois Foundation -- have remained the same: trying to do what is best for the health of those attending Rollins College, as well as helping students
avoid future illnesses.

"We work just like a normal doctor's office," said Sandra Weisstein, the Director of the on-campus Health Center. "However, we also offer preventive care. We can help a student who has a sore throat, but we can also help that student from getting that sore
throat over and over. Furthermore, we're helping kids make a transition to what they're going to see in the real world. We help students with filing their insurance, as well as making and showing up to appointments."

The Health Center offers plenty of information -- both at its location and on its website -- about different ailments, ranging anywhere from the common cold to clinical depression. There are some students, however, that have concerns about the Health Center, most of which stem from
its hours of operation.

"Throughout the day, I'm really busy," said Tom Alexander, 20. "It's really hard to schedule an appointment during the day when I have to go to my classes and do homework, too."

The Health Center is only open seven and a half hours a day, all of which come in the middle of the day. This is when students are
busiest. And just like a normal doctor's office, it sometimes gets a little behind in attending to their customers. A student runs the risk of missing a class if he or she tries to squeeze an appointment into his or her demanding schedules.

"We try to run on time, but we get 15 to 20 minutes behind sometimes," said Ms. Weisstein. "That's better than most doctors'
offices, however."

When asked if she would like for the Health Center to be open longer hours, Ms. Weisstein responded by saying, "We would
love extra staffing for evenings, but we don't need to duplicate services that are already being offered. We are not an urgent care center."

Another common complaint from students is that the Health Center is not open on weekends. So if a student without a car should become stricken with a 102-degree fever on a Saturday morning, they'll have to find some way to the hospital, rather than
getting treatment on campus.

"We are in the middle of a large city with two hospitals close by," said Ms. Weisstein of potential remedies. "There are procedures
in place for situations likes these. Someone like an RA can get help, and, in a situation like that, a student could call for an ambulance."

The Residential Assistant handbook sets out those guidelines for RAs at Rollins College.
"If a student gets sick, we refer them down to the Health Center," said Trevor Luna, 19, an RA in Elizabeth Hall. "If the Health Center is closed, and the person is really sick, I'll call 911 and the Assistant Director. Also, I'm an EMT [emergency medical technician]."

Despite the few complaints about the Health Center, Ms. Weisstein is happy with the services provided. The opinion of the majority of students agrees with her sentiments. "Based on satisfaction surveys, we're doing pretty well," she said.

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