Dispatch From Campus: Student Health Services
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On March 17, 2020, President Wiewel announced that only critical-services staff should report to work on campus. This Q&A series offers a closer look at how the stay-at-home order has affected various campus services and operations.
The following Q&A checked in with staff from Student Health Services.
What’s changed about your job and the services your team provides?
Director of Student Health Service Margaret Upton: Our hours still are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (through May 7), with only two providers in the office every day in case somebody needs an in-person visit. This way, if one of us gets sick, we won’t all be exposed on a particular day. We do see a few students, but it’s rare. Just one student came in during spring break. So we are trying to do as much as we can via phone. Our phone is forwarded to Medical Administrative Specialist Janet Wolff at home and she does a triage for respiratory related symptoms. We do have the capacity to test for COVID-19 currently. However, we are following Oregon Health Authority advice on whom to test, and the criteria for testing is quite restrictive. We have also reduced or eliminated some of our “routine” health care services (e.g. reproductive health care exams and physicals), in order to decrease the number of patients circulating through our clinic, and decrease any possible exposure to COVID-19.
Physician Julie Radostitz: In addition to working at Lewis & Clark, I also work at a jail and every day they go over the precautions on how they will handle everything. I am doing less patient visits, but it’s overwhelming to keep up with the recommendations.
What personal hobby or activity are you most looking forward to when this pandemic is over?
Medical Administrative Specialist Janet Wolff: Shopping!
Director of Student Health Service Margaret Upton: Travelling.
Nancy Kalvelage, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner: Yoga class and church.
