In consideration of the impending budget cuts, Student Health and Student Government are working together to modify the Health Center’s operating hours and improve the allocation of appointments.
Robert Hayford, associate director of the Student Health Center, said the proposed new hours are intended to help students get appointments with Student Health.
“The recent budgetary concerns have compelled Student Health to maximize efficiencies and look for alternative ways of providing services to students in the most logical and fiscally responsible way,” Hayford said. “We believe this proposal for reallocating resources and maximizing daytime resources is the most financially responsible decision given the financial challenges Student Health and the University face.”
The evening hours are what would be impacted. According to studies by the Student Health Center, 73 percent of the patients seen in the evening said they could have waited until the next day to visit the center.
The University Health Committee reviewed and supports the proposed reallocation, according to Hayford.
“The Student Health Center is proposing a reallocation of its evening resources which include three nurses and a clerical employee to the daytime shift,” Hayford said. “This is meant to maximize available resources during the highest volume times of the day.”
Hayford said a new physician assistant position was recently approved and will be added in March.
“The new physician assistant will need to be supported by nurses as they see patients,” Hayford said. “The nurses that would be reallocated to the daytime would fill this need and eliminate the need to add new nurse positions.”
According to Hayford, this proposed new position as well as the new hours would be beneficial for students seeking care at the Student Health Center.
“The reallocation of resources to the daytime would better utilize fee and service revenue supported positions and increase efficiencies,” Hayford said.
According to Hayford, these changes will also decrease the time it takes for students to make an appointment by increasing the number of appointments available to students.
“Currently, the average wait time for students to make an appointment is about one day or ranges between one and two days,” Hayford said. “This wait will decrease even further with the new provider and nurses.”
Hayford also said the new addition and renovations to the Student Health Center will allow providers to see more students during the day and be more efficient in seeing those students.
According to Hayford, there is no proposed change to the hours for any Student Health service other than the clinic.
“With this new schedule, a physician will be available during all hours Student Health is open,” Hayford said. ”By no means will the quality of service to students be reduced.”
Hayford said he wanted to emphasize that whenever Student Health is closed during the fall or spring, telephone medical advice is available and a physician, counselor, and psychiatrist are also “on call.”
“We continue to search for new opportunities that will lead to cost savings and greater efficiencies for the students at NC State University,” Hayford said.
