Health care on campus

Any CSU student knows the stresses of academic life can take its toll on the body and mind. From the common cold to a full-blown flu, from test anxiety to major depression, the rigors of being a college student in Cleveland can run a student down. However, what most CSU students don't know is the university provides a healthy dose of services to get one over such hurdles—and a number of them are absolutely free.

CSU's Health and Wellness Services clinic, staffed by certified nurse practitioners and physicians, offers a plethora of health services to students, faculty and staff—all at little to no cost. Students who choose not to seek health care because they lack insurance or are underinsured need not worry. The Health and Wellness Center has them covered. 

"You do not need any health insurance to be seen here in Health Services," said Eileen Guttman, a nurse practitioner and supervisor at Health and Wellness Services. "Without insurance, we charge low-cost to no-cost for students who have no insurance or have the student health insurance."

The clinic provides service in line with those a family doctor would: assessment and treatment of illness or injury, first aid, chronic disease surveillance, immunizations, physicals, lab services, health education—the list goes on.  

Because putting off a creeping health problem is far more risky than procrastinating on studying for a final, Health Services advises students to take advantage of the services offered by the clinic. For those who fear potential costs associated with a visit to the doctor, Guttman says it costs absolutely nothing to be seen at the clinic and minimal charges are assessed for medications, immunizations, lab tests, and physical exams. In addition, Guttman says the clinic operates with complete transparency and a keen understanding of the financial concerns students with or without insurance have when it comes to seeking care.

"We will never force a student to do something they do not want to do," Guttman said. "We are very, very cost conscious for our students. We spend students' money very, very carefully. Unlike other places, we discuss costs up front."

Guttman explained that if a student comes in with a sore throat, the clinic will ask to do a throat culture to diagnose or rule out the possibility of strep throat. The physician will discuss the cost of the throat culture upfront and, if the student is willing to incur the cost, the physician will then move forward. The throat culture would cost the student $14, not a penny more than what the clinic pays to take and test the culture. This cost is far less than even the average office visit co-pay at other clinics. 

Although the clinic offers a wealth of services, they are unable to provide complete care in some circumstances.  The clinic's limited resources do not support some tests and procedures that require specialized training and equipment, such as colonoscopies or surgeries. If a patient is in need of services that the clinic cannot provide, the staff will refer the patient to a community resource, which will be able to provide additional care in the most affordable way. However, once a patient seeks care outside of the clinic, costs will inevitably rise.

The Health and Wellness Center provides care to approximately 5,300 student patients a year, but still considers its services underused because of a lack of student awareness.

"[Student awareness] is one of the biggest challenges that we've had," Guttman said. "We consider ourselves one of the best-kept secrets on campus."

Tucked away in a strategically anonymous location in Rhodes Tower, CSU's Counseling and Testing Center provides another facet of health care—psychological and psychiatric services.

Whether a student is in need of help with anxiety, depression, vocational or scholastic difficulty, eating disorders, relationship problems, or acculturation issues, the Counseling and Testing Center provides an abundance of little-to-no-cost services to assist students with mental health concerns.

"Our primary function here is to provide counseling to CSU students, so we provide individual, couples and group counseling programs for students," said Dr. Bruce Menapace, a staff psychologist at the Counseling and Testing Center. 

Students looking for solutions to a variety of individual concerns can seek one-on-one counseling at no cost. According to the center's brochure, individual counseling usually lasts between one and 10 sessions and helps to resolve mental health, academic, vocational and other personal concerns.

"In the case of individual counseling, we deal with any issues that students want to reflect on," Menapace said. "Our big issues here and in clinics anywhere are anxiety and depression—the anxiety that is part in parcel of coping with the stress of college life."

Couples counseling provides students a means to work out interpersonal issues with friends, family or romantic partners. This form of counseling is used to enhance relationships, recognize problems, develop positive communication, and mitigate conflict. The no-cost couples counseling provided by the Counseling and Testing Center offers students a way to enrich their relationship even if the other party is not a student. 

Group counseling offers students a way to work out their problems in an environment populated with students who have similar concerns. Throughout the year, the Counseling and Testing Center provides a number of different group counseling sessions and workshops including: workshops for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) students, a How to Do Everything Better series of workshops, a stress management group, a self-esteem group, a group focused on increasing assertiveness, and various academic workshops. Like individual and group counseling, these services are free.