Health Services debuts changes

Cristine Meza, Campus Life - By Cristine Meza on Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 03:13

The Student Health and Wellness Center’s open house on Wednesday, Feb. 9 celebrated its recent name change from Student Health Services.

“We have changed our name to the Student Health and Wellness Center because we have added a new dimension to our department,” Director of Student Health Services Stella Wohlfarth said. Some new additions include massage therapy, nutrition consultants, a Healthmart and anticipated facial treatments.

With the announcement of a Healthmart, many initial impressions are ones of interest and curiosity.

“It would be very convenient for the students who live on campus, especially for those who don’t have cars,” first-year Candace Rojas said.

The purpose of Healthmart is to provide items at discounted prices, such as shampoo, toothpaste and chapstick, while avoiding a trip to the drug store or pharmacy.

“The idea sounds interesting, as long as the Health Center does not turn into a profit-gaining monopoly,” junior Felipe Magallon said.

In addition, students will soon have the luxury of facial treatments with the ease of charging the bill to their accounts.
“I think it is a good idea, especially for college students,” sophomore Tara Nishiyama said. “I know a lot of my friends worry about stress and acne.”

At the moment, the pricing for this service is still under negotiation, but it will be revealed some time in the near future.

At the open house, a series of informational booths provided insight about the many new features offered by the Student Health and Wellness Center.

The open house included staff introductions along with a 15 minute tour. For those who wished to participate in a health quiz, a raffle ticket was submitted under their name.

For the majority of the session, attendance was low. The faculty at the Health and Wellness Center acknowledge that many students have yet to become familiar with the department and hope that those who attended the open house had the opportunity to do so.

“We wanted everyone to be aware of these exciting changes in person,” Wohlfarth said. “The website and e-mails we send cannot adequately explain all of these changes. You need to see it in person!”