Pago 6
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, November 6, 1984
Health Center's actions anger UNL student
Opinion By Stacie Thomas
Dally Nfbntkan Senior Editor
Recently my 18-year-old sister
became ill after eating dinner at
her residence hall food service.
After returning to her room she
began vomiting, passing out, was
unable to control her bowel move
ments and was too weak to move.
This continued for several hours.
During this time her roommate
contacted a residence hall health
aide who called the University
Health Center several times. The
health aide and the health center
nurse decided that whatever my
sister had would "wear off and
that the health aide should just
"tuck her into bed." The health
aide said she didnt want to take
my sister to the health center
because she was too weak to
walk. The nurse said she didn't
think my sister needed medical
attention.
Frustrated at not being able to
find help on campus, my sister's
roommate took her to Bryan
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Memorial Hospital where they
treated her and prescribed med
ication. As I arrived at the Bryan
Memorial emergency room, my
sister stumbled out the doors
unassisted and passed out in my
arms. No medical personnel both
ered to help her out of the build
ing nor did they bother to tell the
friends who took her there what
was wrong.
I asked for a nurse and she
finally appeared to tell me my sis
ter had flu-like symptoms. She
evidently hadn't eaten well since
her wisdom teeth were pulled
three days earlier, was dehydrated
and had contacted a virus.
The Bryan Memorial nurse said
my sister would need care during
the night and, if we wished, we
should take her to the University
Health Center. I called the health
center to tell the nurse I would be
bringing my sister to them. The
nurse said the health center
wouldn't take her unless the phy
sician at Bryan Memorial autho
rized it. After the physician at
Bryan Memorial talked to the
physician at the health center,
we finally were allowed to take
her to the health center.
What is the health center for if
it isn't to care for students who
are too weak to move, passing
out, vomiting and unable to con
trol bowel movements? These
symptoms aren't so trivial that
they deserve an answer like, 'tuck
her into bed."
The next day the nurse refused
comment.
Dr. Gerald Fleischli, medical
director, said, "it's nice to call
ahead if they have a question, but
if they want to be seen, they
should just come." Had my sister
and her friends shown up on the
health center doorstep, the staff
wouldn't have had a choice but to
treat my sister. But since they
called, the health center staff had
the option of not treating, her.
That night when I questioned
the nurse at the health center
about her criteria in deciding my
sister didn't need medical atten
tion, she said the health aide said
my sister wasn't vomiting any
more, had a normal temperature
and couldn't possibly come to the
health center anyway because
she was too weak to move.
My sister did not have a normal
temperature. It rose four degrees
in one hour after she stopped
vomiting. And her friends were
ready and willing to carry her
anywhere as long as she would
receive medical attention. If
someone were dying and too weak
to move, would that particular
health aide tuck him onto bed
too?
For all the health aide knew,
my sister could have had food
poisoning or could have been hav
ing an allergic reaction to the
medication she was taking; both
of which could have been serious
and could have had similar symp
toms to those my sister had. The
fact that my sister didnt have
food poisoning or an allergic reac
tion doesn't make any difference.
What if she had?
The attending physician at the
health center didn't even
acknowledge the family members
present, let alone tell them what
treatment he was giving my sis
ter. The only staff member who
snowed compassion, considera
tion and a professional attitude,
was the orderly.
We pay our student fees so that
we can have medical help availa
ble on campus, to save the time of
traveling across town to a more
expensive hospital.
Steve Blum, administrative di
rector of the health center, said
he would look into the situation.
Blum said he also would discuss
it with nursing and medical staff
.members to make them aware of
what happened and ensure that
it doesn't happen again.
Blum said, The Health Center
is the provider; we shouldn't have
let that happen. Something went
haywire and as the provider, it
was our fault."
Blum said he hoped this was an
isolated incident and said the
health center' is not intended to
operate the way it did that night.
I believe that but the fact is the
health center did operate that
way.
I don't want to discourage stu
dents from using the health cen
ter; rather, I want to encourage
health center employees to be
come more receptive to students.
LES increase less than '84 hike
By Ann Rssmussen
Daily Nebraskan Staff Reporter
Students living off-campus can
expect to pay higher electric bills
in 1985.
The rate increase is part of
Lincoln Electric System's 1985
budget presented to the City
Council Monday for approval
Walter Canney, LES adminis
trator, told council members the
increase of 2.5 percent is below
the 5.5 percent increase of 1984.
LES also is projecting continuing
low increases for 1986 and the
years to follow, he said.
Canney attributes the lower
increase to high energy sales.
The eventual goal is a zero per
cent increase, Canney said, which
he believes is possible in the 1980s
if more industrial customers are
obtained.
Canney said the 1985 hike will
go toward increased operating
expenses and construction costs.
The increased expenses include
replacement of underground
cables, downtown network trans
formers and street lights.
Funds also will be required to
accommodate the expected influx
of about 1,400 new customers,
compared to 1,200 in 1984.
Canney said LES will continue
its work in areas of local conser
vation and research.
Canney said LES employment
will drop 15.3 percent next year.
The bulk of this decrease is be
cause of the closing of the K
street power plant, he said. This
will lower the number of full-time
LES employees to 385 people.
LES employed 454 people last
year.
Adoption of the 1985 LES bud
get will be on the council's Nov. 1 9
agenda.
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