Taking advantage of a health center’s services that is already paid for

The Health Center provides free services to students on campus like physical check ups, mental health counseling, and vaccinations that are paid by a fee charged during the registration process. Photo credit: Eric Caldwell

By Cynclaire Hambrick

Most students that attend Moorpark College can’t afford to waste money, according to 21-year-old environmental science major, DeLayni Millar. “Most students probably don’t realize they are throwing away $19 each semester.”

All Moorpark College students pay a health fee when registering for classes. Unfortunately, very few students are aware of the services that can be provided after the payment of this fee.

Once the health fee is paid, students are entitled to receive health care at the college’s Health Center. The goal of offering health care at a low cost is to ensure that students have access to the healthcare they need. During the 2015-2016 fall/spring semesters, the health center only saw 4,542 students for medical and mental health services.

“The mission of the Moorpark College Health Center is to offer services that help support the health of the student so they can reach their educational goals,” said Sharon Manakas, Coordinator of the Student Health Center.

The Health Center at Moorpark College is located between the Communications building and Fountain Hall, in the Administration building. Depending on the service desired, there is typically no fee required other than the health fee students are required to pay when registering for classes.

Located in the front office of the Health Center is a self-care center. In this area many different things are found such as band aids, Tylenol, aspirin, chapstick, condoms, and many other useful items. All Moorpark College students are encouraged to visit the Health Center and take advantage of the free items provided rather than waste time to leave campus and buy them.

“I don’t know much about the health center, I’ve never been there but I’ve heard that they have free condoms,” said 21-year-old film major, Jules Hooper.

In addition to items for self care, the Health Center also offers medical care. These items and services are basically free, but the catch is that students have already paid for them with the “health fee” said Allison Barton, Health Educator.

“We offer many medical services primarily for acute care so if you had a respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, or STD, you can see a provider free of charge, the only charge that we have is for medication or lab work,” said Manakas.

If for any reason a student wants to keep their physical or mental health completely private, using the Health Center is a great choice. Not only is it free, the Health Center makes confidentiality a top priority. Students never have to worry about their personal information being given to anyone without their consent. The faculty and staff at the Health Center always have the best interest of students in mind.

“As it is confidential, parents are not allowed this information, so there’s nothing that goes to your home,” said Manakas. “So if you go to a private provider and they send the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) that would go to your parents, especially if you’re covered under their care, and you don’t have that here.”

The Health Center provides a variety of free services including mental health counseling, STD testing, and nutrition counseling. There are a couple services that the Health Center has no choice other than to charge for, such as immunizations, lab work, and cholesterol testing. The services that students are charged for are at cost for the Health Center, meaning that they aren’t making a profit off of students.

Students don’t have to worry about going to the Health Center at school and having their professors or coaches find out about their private health information. All services that students take advantage of at the health center are confidential and kept separate from academic records.

“We understand your school schedule, we understand your work schedule, and we understand that we have to fit appointments in between those things,” said Barton. “We understand those are a priority to you and we want to honor that.”

Moorpark College students are always on the go and the Health Center recognizes that. You can drop by and pick up something small that you may otherwise have to leave campus for. When students are sick, the Health Center is able to schedule appointments for students either the day they call or the next day. Typically, the Health Center is a more convenient and cost effective option for students at Moorpark College.

“We are always ready to welcome students into the student health center,” said Barton. “We’re here for you, we want to support your academic experience here, and we want to support your present and future health.”

The Health Center is open Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.