Issue date: 11/4/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Alex Holzinger Hendrix College Health and Counseling Services is located in this quaint, white house on the west side of campus across Washington Avenue.

There has recently been some controversy over the Office of Health Services and its accessibility to students. At the Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 Senate meetings, Senators raised concerns that the Nurse's Office only allowed students receiving flu vaccinations and those with appointments. Senators said their constituents thought the Nurse should see every student.

Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Joyce Hardin was on hand to comment. Hardin said that the appointment system was in a trial phase, in order to see if it would be an effective option.
"We are trying to run it more like a regular doctor's office, and we as a community are not used to it," Hardin said. "We want to give it enough time to evaluate it though."

Nurse Donna Chastain said that the office hours have changed this year only to open half an hour later in order to complete some administrative work at the beginning of the day. The office is still open morning from 8:30 to 12:00 and every afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00.

The office was closed to seeing patients on Oct. 24 and 25, so that flu shots could be administered, which Chastain said is not a new practice.

"Every year we give two clinic days of flu shots," Chastain said. "If students need help we refer them to local doctors. But we also worked several people in between flu shots," she said.

According to Chastain, the new appointment system is an attempt to manage her time better and perform better service to patients.
"On some days we had students waiting in the second waiting room, and on the couch in the kitchen," Chastain said, "and you don't do people justice in five to ten minutes.

"I would see 25 to 30 students a day, and be here until 6:30 at night doing paperwork. We are just trying to manage our time better," she said. The office will not close its doors to "walk-ins"
"Nothing is set in stone," according to Chastain. "We are very flexible. I see walk-ins everyday. We're not going to turn down anyone who appears very ill. If they need to be seen, we see them."

Freshman Courtney Deal tried to go into the nurse's office on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and was not seen because she didn't have an appointment.

"She had a lot of appointments that afternoon," Deal said. "And I was told they weren't going to see me because I didn't have an appointment, so I went the next morning. I was upset because I was told by other students that I didn't need an appointment."
According to Chastain, "everything is posted on the website, and e-mails were sent about the new practices."

Dr. Hardin told senators to encourage their constituents to continue expressing their concerns, so that the Nurse's Office and Student Affairs could gauge how the students' attitudes about the new hours of operation.

Nurse Chastain also requests that students call Health Services at 450-1475 to discuss any concerns that they may have.
"Call me directly at my desk, and we'll talk about it," Chastain said.

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