Propsies: PLEASE READ Closing of Overnight Infirmary Services?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

<p>From a dorm conference:</p>

<p>"I wanted to share some important information with you. As of right now, the college is planning to close the infirmary. This means between 4:30pm and 8:30am the entire health services will be closed. There will no longer be 24-hr service or a night nurse available. This decision was made in response to the review Health Services went under a few years ago that showed after-hours care was under-utilized. The "plan" is to redistribute the money to the health education budget and more, which could potentially bring really great benefits to the Wellesley community, yet I worry that the College has not anticipated all of the repercussions this change will bring. </p>

<p>Unity (a group that consists of all the HPs, College Government, and upper level administrators) is meeting today to discuss this issue and I think it is important to get your feedback and answer your questions."</p>

<p>From Unity via the College Gov't President:</p>

<p>"Dear Wellesley College Students,</p>

<p>The proposal to close the infirmary was made by the Office of Student Life, not Student Unity. We were just informed this afternoon about the closing of the 24 hour infirmary. At the meeting today we brought up many issues that you are now voicing in this thread. We made these concerns clear to the Deans so that once (or if) this proposal is finalized, they put all student concerns into careful consideration. </p>

<p>As your advocates to the administration, we will work with all of you to ensure that all of our (yours and ours- we're students too!) questions are answered and concerns are addressed before the proposal moves forward. In addition, we propose that we find a way to create a productive and effective forum for discussion so that all of these concerns are brought to light. We invite all of you to attend next Monday's Senate, where the Deans will be present to answer all your questions. </p>

<p>Ultimately this affects us and our voices must be heard before any final decision can be made on this administrative proposal."</p>

<p>So a lot students here are quite upset by the idea of Wellesley closing down 24 hour health care, because it's made a huge difference to many students at Wellesley (including myself). This service has saved the lives of a handful of Wellesley students.</p>

<p>We (the current Wellesley Students) are going to do our best to make sure the infirmary is stay open 24 hours a day.</p>

<p>However, a college's reputation is staked very strongly on the opinion of prospectives. If the lack of a 24 hour infirmary would affect you decision to attend Wellesley College, PLEASE let the school know.</p>

2

<p>Wow! That doesn't sound good.</p>

<p>What sorts of services does the infirmary offer in the evening? Is there any other way to get these services if necessary?</p>

3

<p>WendyMouse, thank you for posting this. I briefly saw something about this on FC a while back but didn't realize what was happening until the post came through to Community today.</p>

<p>Prospective students: this affects you, too. If any other alumnae are lurking around the board, please be aware of what is being proposed.</p>

4

<p>The infirmary's evening hours are limited to urgent needs (no regular appointments), quarantining for very contagious students, and overnight stays for students needing monitoring. One of my first-year roommates stayed there for several days when her immune system weakened for no apparent reason. </p>

<p>The only comparable services available off-campus are at the Newton-Wellesley hospital, which is several miles away and inconvenient to get to. Particular concerns include the cost of emergency care in the hospital and the ability to find transportation to the hospital.</p>

5

<p>I'm not sick very often, but this doesn't sound too good...I suppose I am fine with this, as long as another system is developed, such as transportation to the hospital, etc. What happens if a student has an asthma attack? Or if they come down with a fever? Should they just kick out their room mate so the room mate doesn't get sick?</p>

<p>(I think the problem with prospective students responding to this is that we have no experience with this infirmary.)</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
I suppose I am fine with this, as long as another system is developed, such as transportation to the hospital, etc. What happens if a student has an asthma attack? Or if they come down with a fever? Should they just kick out their room mate so the room mate doesn't get sick?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Or if a student goes into anaphylactic shock? Or has a non-life-threatening but still urgent condition that doesn't require an ambulance but demands prompt attention? Will a cab take an incredibly contagious student to the hospital? Will Campus Police transport a student who is bleeding? Will your next-door neighbor offer you a ride at 2am ... and sit there for hours while you wait for emergency services?</p>

<p>Consider the cost, if nothing else! The insurance offered through the college for a very low fee (relative to what health insurance often costs) covers a good portion of the fees for an overnight stay in Health Services. Insurance really doesn't cover very much of emergency services, and the cost is prohibitive for most students--especially students who are already in tight financial situations.</p>

7

<p>One correction to my previous post: in looking at the student health insurance offered this year through the college, the plan would cover expenses incurred through emergency care at the hospital if the student goes when Health Services is closed. Whether or not this will remain the case is a different issue, and one that few individuals could control. Even more importantly, not all students utilize the health insurance offered by the campus: some use their parent's insurance, which might or might not be as comprehensive.</p>

8

<p>As a prospective student who ranks Wellesley as her top-choice school, I know that the decision to shut down the infirmary for certain hours would not affect my decision to apply. However--and this is an emphatic 'however'--I know that my parents would be very uncomfortable with it and might be hesitant about allowing me to matriculate at a school which they don't believe will have a constantly available health care service.</p>

9

<p>The evening infirmary services are basically like what your mom provides when you are sick, but with more medical knowledge (parental medical professionals excepted).</p>

<p>My person experience involved a thirty hour stay when I woke up vomiting with the 24 hour bug in the wee hours of the morning. Campus po brought me there, they helped me vomit a couple of times and then I slept in the bed. Nurses would come by and check on me and bring me fluids and Gatorade and crackers, which I couldn't have done myself in the dorm because I barely had the energy to finish the entire cup of water they gave me with the bed helping me sit up. I was really glad I could be taken care of. Me being there stopped other people from getting what I got, and it meant I got what I needed.</p>

10

<p>Update: The student senate meeting was pretty awful. People there felt that the administration did not adequately address concerns and talked down to students.</p>

<p>Not looking good.</p>

11

<p>this makes me really nervous. while i'm not incapable of taking care of myself, i fell ill in the middle of the night a few weeks ago and basically slept in the bathroom all night. thankfully, my parents were there to help. without them, i would have been terrified and unsure of what was going on. my mother, who attended wellesley, often tells me about the time she contracted mononucleosis and had to stay in the infirmary for about two weeks. will people be unable to stay in the infirmary for 24-hour periods if it's closing for several hours? who's going to be there?</p>

<p>i'm just very nervous about this, considering it's where i'll be living, and the thought of a home lacking health care is rather frightening.</p>

12

<p>I've checked into the proposal and it's not as dire as it sounds. Wellesley will be increasing the regular health services hours into the evening so people can be seen then. The vast majority of students who use the overnight infirmary use it to see a nurse after hours because the regular health services hours end in the late afternoon. Expanding the health services hours means that the doctor and nurses who work in health services will be there into the evening -- instead of now when there's only one nurse in the infirmary. And they're working on a contract with a local hospital for urgent care at night ('after hours care') -- not just "go to the emergency room" but dedicated services for Wellesley students -- phone support so you can figure out whether you need to be seen by a medical professional now or can wait until mornign, transportation to the hospital if that's what you need. And the college is going to pay the hospital to provide these services.</p>