After much criticism and debate, UB officials have announced a long-awaited North Campus health center will open next fall in place of the current Ellicott Area Office at 123 Richmond Quad.
Construction, according to Student Affairs and UB's Health Services, is slated to begin in late May. At 1,500 square feet, the new center may face space issues depending on traffic and will only offer certain services. By comparison, Michael Hall's health center on South Campus is almost five times larger, at about 7,000 square feet.
The facility will operate as a satellite to the South Campus Health Center at Michael Hall, and the Ellicott Area Office will relocate to 241 Richmond Quad and 262 Red Jacket Quad.
According to a UB press release, the project's cost will be supported by both the comprehensive fee all students pay and University Residence Halls and Apartments. No additional hires will be made, which means the current staff at Michael Hall will have to spread between both campuses.
The Student Association had been pushing for a Student Union location, but Frank Carnevale, director of Health Services and Student Wellness, said the Ellicott location turned out to be the best available option.
"We explored any available sites on campus, and the person who came through was Joe Krakowiak, the director of University Residence Halls," he said.
Carnevale said above all else, he is "very grateful" to have been provided the Ellicott space. He said he believes although the satellite will be in the residence halls, it will still be convenient for commuters.
"It should be quite accessible with the new parking," Carnevale said, referring to plans that one of the unpaved lots in Ellicott will receive a coat of blacktop before the center opens.
Officials said the new facility would especially benefit on-campus residents.
"Our investments are always focused on enhancing the residential experience and this is no exception," Joe Krakowiak, director of University Residence Halls and Apartments, said in a press release. "A North Campus health satellite gives our residents access to the services they need to make living at UB a great experience. We are proud to be a part of it."
Regardless of location, the services provided will be available to all registered UB students, much like those on South Campus. However, there will be significant differences.
The space designated is 1,500 square feet. This area will be divided into four exam rooms, a small lab, and a reception/waiting room.
Due to the space constraints, patients will be taken by appointment only, which will be made by calling Michael Hall. At that time, the patient will be directed to one of the two medical facilities depending on proximity to the patient and the medical condition being evaluated.
The new center will cater purely to same-day urgent medical concerns. Flu, sinus infection, sore throat and urinary tract infections are included in that category. Doctor's visits for common seasonal illness and minor infection will also be available on North Campus.
Michael Hall will continue to handle less pressing conditions and procedures. The services available only at the South Campus medical facility will include physicals, immunizations, maintenance allergy injections, gynecologic evaluations, travel medicine and sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing.
Carnevale said he isn't worried that the facility in the dorms will be overwhelmed as long as students "understand how it functions."
"It's small enough that it has to function by appointment only, but that shouldn't be a problem if students use the correct procedure," he said.
"We will be re-allocating the doctors and nurses that currently work for us. We aren't getting any additional funding to run it, so we have to re-allocate the resources we already have," he added.
This means that the hours at Michael Hall will be cut to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday throughout the school year, with the exception of holidays. The North Campus center will operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Regarding the shorter hours, Carnevale said, "It is a balancing act, but I believe we will gain more by having two (locations) than we will lose by cutting hours."
Payment at the new facility will be the same as that at Michael Hall. There is no charge for the visit, as the Student Health fee pays for the staff and space. Prescriptions, additional testing or treatments will be the only things for which students have to foot the bill.
This plan, due to delays and difficulties, has become somewhat of a hot-button issue for those involved and information has become more controlled. Over the last two weeks, the discussions between UB and SA have been closed-door meetings.
Some students, like Chris Davison, a senior Spanish major, have less bureaucratic concerns.
"Having a facility closer to the dorms will encourage more students to go, crowding and using resources that sicker students need," Davison said. "It'll also be easier to get a doctor's note for being sick."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
