The number of students being diagnosed with H1N1, or flu-like symptoms, is doubling every day, says Dr. Jerry Barker, director of Student Health Services. With the number of cases on the rise, Student Health representative Dr. Mary Bengtson approached University Dining and University Housing to create a plan that ensures sick students are getting proper nutrients through Get-Well Meal Kits, Barker said.
The Get-Well Meal Kits feature soups, Powerade, Sprite, crackers, applesauce and oatmeal, said Jennifer Gilmore, a representative from University Dining.
Gilmore explained the system as an easy tool for students to use. Self-quarantined students can go to the University Dining Web page and fill out a short form, then students must have it signed by their RA and send a friend to pick up the kit. For students with a meal plan, the kit is free, for all other students the kit is $15, she said.
“We feel it is our job to make sure these students are getting fed,” Gilmore said. “Many of these students have meal plans, so whether they are sick or healthy, we feed them.”
Although the program has been running smoothly, there has been one oversight when kicking off the new program, she said. “We did not plan ahead for off-campus students to use the program,” Gilmore said. “But we have worked through that, and it is now open to on and off-campus students.”
John Steeb, a freshman in engineering, thinks highly of the program. “[Get-Well Meal Kits] are a good idea because they help everyone,” he said. “It prevents the person who is sick from spreading the sickness, and it also lets the sick person relax and have food that will aid in their recovery.”
Both students and parents have been appreciative of the program, Gilmore said. “Having a sick child creates a certain angst for parents, but knowing that their child is taken care of creates a sense of relief, and the students are getting proper sustenance,” she said.
“The program has been appreciated by students,” Barker said. “It serves a double-purpose of keeping campus that much healthier.”
Barker, who supports the program, still urges all students to take as many health precautions as possible. “Practice all the good health habits you can, because the flu has a serious side,” he said.
Sick students should keep a distance from other students, and be self-isolated for at least 24 hours after the fever breaks, Barker said.
“The vaccine for H1N1 is set to arrive in October,” he said. “I urge all students to get the vaccine.”
Even when the vaccine comes to campus, University Dining has intentions to keep the Get-Well Meal Kits an on-going project. “Students are sick all the time, not just when there is an outbreak,” Gilmore said. “If students are too sick to get out of bed, they should still be taken care of.”
“I think it would be beneficial to continue [the program] to help prevent other major outbreaks on campus,” Steeb said.
