Vanderbilt Student Government announced important changes to the Student Health Center this past Monday.
Students are now able to schedule routine appointments online, while in the past, appointments were made by calling Student Health directly. Students can still call the office to schedule appointments during regular business hours, but the online platform is usable 24 hours a day.
Josie Roth, Chair of the Student Health and Wellness Committee for VSG, sees the transition to an online platform as a clear advantage.
“It will allow the services of the Student Health Center to be more accessible to students,” Roth said.
Student Health is also resuming free flu shots for all students. Students can visit Student Health to receive a flu shot during normal business hours without an appointment, but also can participate in one of the mass vaccination events, such as Flulapalooza or Boo to the Flu.
Normal business hours for the Student Health Center are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm. Extended Tuesday night hours, which were announced in the VSG email, have been repealed, due to low student usage.
Additionally, Student Health has launched official social media accounts to keep students informed on events, updates and health information.
Roth hopes this new social media presence will encourage students to take full advantage of what Student Health has to offer.
“A lot of people don’t know that you can get tested for STDs at the Student Health Center or that you can get your flu shot at the Student Health Center,” Roth said.
Now students can stay aware of these opportunities by following @vandystudenthealth on Instagram and @vandyshc on Twitter.
Student suggestions and requests make these types of changes possible, Roth said. The Student Health and Wellness Committee always welcomes student feedback.
“A lot of what we’re doing right now is making sure that the transition from the PCC to the UCC is going smoothly,” Roth said. She invited students with comments or suggestions on this subject to contact VSG here or reach out to her directly.
Vanderbilt students should expect to hear more from the Student Health and Wellness Committee soon.
“We just brought on new committee members,” Roth said. “So we have twelve people who are all starting on their new initiatives for the year, which is really exciting.”
Students can find more information about the Student Health and Wellness Committee here and about the Student Health Center here.
