Letter to the Editor
Voting against Health Center referendum is an unhealthy choice for students
I’m writing in support of Neil Gibson’s column, “Health
Center services more than worth proposed fee hike,” which ran in
the Jan. 19 issue of The Collegian. I would gladly pay a little extra
to keep the health services we have now, rather than paying the price
of private or public medical services off-campus.
Basic medical visits to the Health Center are free and convenient. Medical
visits, including visits for illness, injury, birth control, minor surgery,
mental health, physical exams, athletic and travel medicine, immunizations,
urgent care, health and wellness education, are all available to us.
The Health Center saves time and money for us.
Pharmacy prices are incredibly low — prescriptions average less
than $10. Physical therapy is another service that the Health Center offers
to students; we only have to pay $20 for six visits, but if we were to
go off-campus for the same service, we would have to pay approximately
$480 per visit.
The Health Center is very convenient for me and many other students; we
are able to walk in and receive services at any time, even between classes.
It is a student-oriented environment. The staff are trained in dealing
with the special needs and concerns of the students.
Without the fee increase, some of these services will be reduced or eliminated,
so I am encouraging other students to support our Health Center and vote
for the referendum on Wednesday Feb. 23, between 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. or
Thursday Feb. 24 between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
—Kelly Mouang Saechao
Graduate student, public health
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