Health Center initiates two programs Savings only part of cost
By Kimberly Schwartxe
Staff Reporter
Two new programs start at the
University Health Center this year,
the center’s administrator said.
Kunle Ojikutu said a registered
nurse will now work at the center’s
front desk with appointment secretar
ies to direct student-patients to medi
cal services they need.
The nurse will reduce the amount
of time students, especially those
who are seriously ill, have to wait for
medical attention because the nurse
immediately can evaluate their ill
nesses, he said.
The health center also is teaching
some students who live in residence
halls about sexually transmitted dis
eases.
Called peer coordinators, those
trained will be available for residence
hall students’ questions about sexu
ally transmitted diseases, Ojikutu
said.
The health center provided serv
ices for 47,885 student visits last
year, he said, and about the same
number during the 1987-88 school
year. This number was a 2,000-visit
increase from the previous year.
The center hired additional staff
members last year to handle the in
crease, Ojikutu said, A part-time
dental hygienist will be hired this
year.
Health center officials have found
that a growing number of students are
using UNL dental college services,
accounting for some of the patient
increase over the past two years.
Health center hours on city cam
pus, at 15th and U streets, are 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday,
and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Hours at
the east campus clinic, 316 East Un
ion, are 2:30 to4 p.m. Monday,Tues
day, Thursday and Friday and 7:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Services offered by the health
center this year include:
• an optional health insurance pro
gram, which covers some charges
that student fees don’t cover and
medical services that aren’t received
at the center.
• acute illness and emergency care
at all times, with no appointment
necessary on cither campus.
• non-emergency, after-hours
treatment for an additional fee.
Health center officials suggest call
ing first to discuss a problem with the
registered nurse who is on duly 24
hours a day.
• allergy injections and skin tests at
the center’s allergy clinic. A doctor
who specializes in allergies is avail
able to students each week. Appoint
ments arc necessary and a fee is
charged.
• health aides who are in residence
halls, fraternities, sororities and co
operatives. The aides have first-aid
kits and are trained by the health
center to handle minor physical and
emotional health problems.
•a variety of wellness programs on
campus coordinated by the commu
nity health department, which in
clude exercise, weight control and
Rubeola measles outbreak cost UNL
center $58,000 in reserve money
By Kimberly Schwartze
Staff Reporter
The rubeola measles outbreak
at the University of Nebraska-Lin
coln last spring cost the University
Health Center $58,000, the cen
ter’s administrator said.
Kunle Ojikutu said the health
center spent the money on medical
supplies, paid employees for extra
hours worked and hired non-staff
members to give students shots
during mass immunizations last
April.
Ojikutu said the $58,000 was
taken from money the health cen
ter keeps in reserve in case major
medical equipment breaks or
needs repair.
Some reserve money was used,
Ojikutu said, because the measles
outbreak "put us in an extremely
tight situation."
"We had to spend money that
we weren’t budgeted for,’ ’ he said.
The epidemic’s expense lias not
caused any health center programs
to be cut or curtailed, Oiikutu said,
but the center is “in a bind” now
because “if we have equipment
that breaks we might not have the
money to fix it.”
Ojikutu said that if the federal
government had not paid $87,000
tor vaccine to immunize almost
8,000 students, “there’s no way
(the health center) could have
avoided a deficit.’’
The health center’s budget last
year was a little more than $3.2
million.
This year’s budget is about $3.4
million. Ojikutu said the increase
is for automatic staff salary raises.
The health center cannot ask for
an extra $58,000 for its budget this
' year, he said, because this year’s
budget was proposed before last
spring’s outbreak.
The center probably will be
unable to replace equipment-re
serve money used for the epidemic
until the 1990-91 school-year
budget, Ojikutu said.
stop-smoking classes and blood pres
sure and fitness-level screenings.
• a drug education program that
includes education, intervention and
prevention in the form of educational
workshops and resources and student
support groups. Peer alcohol educa
tors are available for presentations
and projects. Assessment and referral
services are provided.
• gambling education programs,
with assessment and referral serv
ices.
• contraceptive counseling.
Women arc required to have a recent
pap smear and attend a contraceptive
counseling session which reviews
forms of birth control before receiv
ing a prescription for birth control
from the health center.
• A dental clinic that offers almost
all dental services, except orthodon
tic work, at a reduced cost. The denial
staff is on call 24 hours a day for
dental emergencies.
• pregnancy counseling for women
who think they may be pregnant. If a
pregnancy test is positive, a coun
selor is available to assist in decision
making. Appointments arc neces
sary. Obstetric care is not provided at
the health center.
• specialty clinics with community
doctors are available on a referral
basis in areas including surgery,
orthopedics, gynecology, ophthal
mology, internal medicine, urology,
neurqjogy and otolaryngology (car,
nose and throat). Allergy, dermatol
ogy and audiology specialty clinics
do not require a referral because
doctors are available weekly. A fee is
charged.
• diagnostic X-rays at the center’s
radiology department. The center
clinicians or the student’s doctor
must order the X-rays. They are read
by consulting radiologists. A fee is
charged.
• routine and required immuniza
tions for traveling outside the coun
try. An appointment is necessary and
a fee is charged.
• a six-bed infirmary for short
term illness recuperation. It’s less
expensive than local hospitals. Refer
rals to community hospitals also are
available.
• diagnostic testing. All health
center lab tests must be ordered by a
clinician or a student’s doctor. If a
test is ordered by a doctor outside the
center, results will be sent to the
doctor. A fee is charged.
•comprehensive health care, other
than areas of referral, for acute and
chronic illnesses and minor injures.
An appointment is necessary.
• a pharmacy that fills prescrip
tions from a student’s doctor as well
as center clinicians. Over-the
counter medications, such as cold
remedies and contact lens supplies as
well as contraceptives are for sale al
the pharmacy.
• a physical therapy department
that offers treatment and rehabilita
tion for conditions that affect the
muscles, bones and joints. Therapy
must be ordered by a center clinician
or a student’s doctor. A fee is charged
for disposable items after the fourth
visit.
• an ASUN-appointed Health
Center Board made up of students
who serve as a liaison between the
student body and the health center. At
weekly public meetings, board mem
bers take ideas and suggestions on
how to improve the center.
• a medical records department
that maintains and protects patient
records and can have patient medical
records transferred. Nebraska law
requires medical records to be main
tained for 10 years after a patient’s
first visit. A copy fee for record trans
ferring is charged if the copies are to
be sent to anyone but health care
providers.
Because the health center does not
have a blood bank or the capability to
perform major surgery, some life
threatening emergencies cannot be
handled there. In these cases, stu
dents should call 911 for help.
Beginning midnight, Friday
A»g.Z5
was picked up near 19th and F
streets and taken to detoxification
center.
10:3d n.m. - Receiver reported
stolen from emergency phone lo
cated at 19th and Vine streets.
$50.
Saterday Aug. 26
12:40am. - Several minors were
cited after being picked up near
Abel Hall for possession of alco
hol
12:23 a.a*. - Student was re
ported to have cut forehead and
was treated at health center.
2:37 a.m. - Window reported
broken in burglary attempt at
Dental College. $150.
4:06 a.m. - Bicycle reported sto
len near Love Hall, value un
known.
6:40 p4R. ** Two-vehicle, non
injury accident reported in Area.
15 near Temple building. $600.
10:27 pjn. - Minor reported in
possession of alcohol on 13th
floor of Abel Hal).
ilM p.m. -* Minor reported in
possession of alcohol in 214 Abel
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Few
families can pay for an undergraduate
college education by dipping into
current income or savings alone, said
James Scannell, who oversees enroll
ment at the University of Rochester.
“Some parents have the misper
ception that they have to save the
entire college bill, which could be as
much as $20,(XX) a year at the high
est-cost universities,” he said.
Instead, Scanned advises parents
. to regard savings as only one compo
’ nent in meeting codcgc costs. Most
families will use savings, current
income and borrowing, thus spread
ing out the costs over a 12- to 16-year
period and making monthly bids
more manageable. •
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