The Herald Online

Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Mischa Moreland FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) Student Mark Foster listens to Tony Saylors breathing after Saylors complained of a cough. Saylors is a sophomore philosophy major of Pocahontas. [Click to enlarge]

If you're sick and need to go to the Student Health Center, take a number and get in line. The health center has been overwhelmed, do to both sick students and because the health center only has four employees to cover 10,000 students.

Because of this shortage of staff, the two nurse practitioners are only able to take in 30 students a day, but the health center receives on average 15,000 calls per month.

"There's no student health fee, so there's no money to generate more staff, and help more people", said Lisa Shefelton, director of the Student Health Center.

Shefelton has been working for over a year on a resolution for a student health fee. They are introducing the resolution at the next Student Government Association meeting this Tuesday.

"We're one of the few colleges in the country that doesn't have a student health fee," said Shefelton, "UCA has a $65 per student per semester. We're only proposing $ 30 per semester."

Shefelton even hopes to reopen the on-campus pharmacy for students.

If the resolution is passed by SGA and then the Board of Trustees, getting the medical treatment sick students need, will be easier.

"I do like the idea about the pharmacy. It would be more convenient then going to Walgreens or Super D's," said Sharnea Diggs, a freshman undecided major from Little Rock. "The health fee will take care of that, more staff, pharmacy, and even more medicine",

But many students are sick now, many with the common cold but some with the influenza virus. The difference between the cold and the flu can be difficult to tell, but there are few key symptoms according to Shefelton that can make it easy to separate.

"[Flu] Symptoms include a very, high fever with a temperature being around 103 or 104 degrees, extreme body ache, and a chill," said Shefelton. Other symptoms include the basic cough, sore throat and extreme tiredness.

A way to prevent the flu is by getting an annual flu shot. For many who are not interested in getting a shot, there is an alternative called the nasal spray flu vaccine.

Last year the health center wasted $7,000 worth of the nasal spray vaccine, and only give about 20 of the shot vaccine to students. "It's really not even the students that come out, when we give the shot. It's mostly faculty and staff," said Shefelton.

The nasal spray flu vaccine is made with a live, weakened flu virus that does not cause the flu, but is according to Shefelton is more affective than the shot, "Your body recognizes it a little bit better than something like the shot that is more synthetic."

The best way to keep from getting sick are healthy hygiene practices like washing your hands, avoiding contact with sick people and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth because these are areas were germs are easily spread.

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