Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Headlines

Student Health Center Director Tim VanErt

The Student Health and Counseling Center has a new face in full-time director Tim VanErt M.D. Dr. VanErt has been working between Western and the University of Oregon since 1996. Despite being new to the system, VanErt has already made it a goal to ensure that students understand what their Health Service Fee actually pays for.

It is under Dr. VanErt's estimation that over half of the student population that he encounters does not know of all or even a few of the services available to them.

The professional staff of the Student Health and Counseling Center, located south of the Werner Center, provides students at Western with quality primary health care, information, referral services, counseling and educational services.

If a student needs to be seen for a health or counseling reason, Dr. VanErt claims that "it will not take you a week or two to see one of our specialists like it may at a regular doctor. While our schedule is very busy we can almost always fit you in within the next two days."

The Student Health Center employs physicians, mid-level practitioners and licensed counselors. They also have a part-time orthopedic surgeon who sees referred patients at the clinic. A small list of services that they provide are the treatment of acute illness and injury, allergy injections, immunizations, sports and work physicals, nutritional education and confidential HIV tests. They also offer extensive health care intended for women. Counseling, contraceptives and pregnancy testing are among the many services they provide to women.

Students' Health Service Fees also go into funding the Counseling Center. Their staff consists of therapists, state licensed counselors and graduate-level interns who have experience working with a wide variety of mental issues. They have helped students in the past on a variety of such issues, ranging from sexual assault, eating disorders, anger management and depression. The first five visits to a counselor are free for students and there is a nominal fee that is required afterwards.

Most students at Western are eligible for the services provided by the Health and Counseling Center. If a student takes nine or more credits they are required by the university to pay for the Health Service Fee which provides Limited Health Insurance. Students who take less than nine credits in a term have the option of paying the Student Health Fee if they would like to use the services of the Health Center. The fee is less than it would usually cost just to see a regular physician.

While routine visits to the Health Center come out to no cost to students, not everything is covered. If the student's condition requires medication or any laboratory testing then additional fees may be necessary.

Their mission statement, and what they want students to be aware of is that the purpose of "the Western Oregon University Student Health and Counseling Center is to provide access to high quality, affordable primary outpatient health care, preventative health care, individual and group counseling, consulting, workshops and education."

Whether you feel overwhelmed by school, or feel that you may have a physical ailment then Student Health and Counseling is waiting and more than happy to help in any way that they can. •

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