Health and Wellness Center finds new home
Students used to staying on campus for health care and education will have to get used to heading down the hill.
The Student Health Center and Student Wellness Center now share a building located at the north end of the football stadium. The newly remodeled building provides the centers – now called The Health and Wellness Center – with more room to work and treat patients.
“We were really pressed for space in our old site,” Jim Davis, Health Center director, said.
The move to a larger location has been a goal for about two years, Davis said. An additional student health fee was accepted by students more than a year ago and helped pay for the renovation of the new building.
With the new space the Health Center now has the ability to take X-rays and do physical therapy as well as provide all the services that used to be found in the Taggart Student Center such as physicians, nurses, lab work and a pharmacy.
“Now we can be as oriented toward injury as we are to illness. We can also service a lot more students at a time now,” Davis said.
JoAnn Autry, director of the Wellness Center, is also excited about the move and encourages students to travel the little extra distance to receive help.
“It’s a bit of a distance to travel but it also gives you a chance to get away from campus for a little bit and focus on yourself and staying well,” Autry said.
Both Autry and Davis worry that students may be less likely to come to the center because it’s not right on campus, but said the center is just as accessible as ever by either riding the campus loop bus or driving and parking for free in front of the center.
The Wellness Center, which used to be located in the lower level of University Inn, will also be providing new services in the new facility. Not only will the center provide alcohol and drug education and prevention as well as date-rape and sexual assault education and prevention, but a dietitian will now be on hand to help students take care of their body through exercise and nutrition. The center also has staff to answer any health questions or concerns students might have.
The Wellness Center fills the requirements of the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Acts which helps Utah State University keep federal funds. The center also provides opportunities for public and community health majors.
“We’re the prevention education arm. We’re anxious to help educate people in the five areas of life: Physical, social, mental, social, economical and spiritual,” Autry said.
An open house will be held at the center toward the end of January and the Wellness Center will be hosting “Healthy Relationship Week” in February and “National Alcohol Screening day” in April.