The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/7/09 Section: News

Media Credit: WAITES LASETER Health center renovations, which cost more than $13 million, will be completed this fall. New services include nutritional cooking classes. [Click to enlarge]

The University Health Center will be offering more than flu shots and filling prescriptions this fall.

Students and faculty can enjoy the convenience of an eye care center on the first floor of the health center in the fall.

"We will have a complete vision care clinic with optometrists on staff. We will be offering contacts and glasses with the latest and most popular brands and styles," said Liz Rachun, communications coordinator for the health center.

There isn't a set cost for services offered by the vision care clinic, but Rachun said prices will be competitive.

"We look at the outside prices and usually with 80 to 90 percent of what is charged on the outside, we will be less expensive, but not drastically," Rachun said.

Students and faculty can use insurance plans to pay for their expenses, but the health center will not be in network with insurance companies, Rachan said.

"We will bill the company, and if [the buyer] is reimbursed, then that is fine."

The Health Center's $13.7 million project kicked off with the opening of a new lobby March 30. The lobby is renovated and now has four registration health information desks and four computer-equipped desks for students to go online and update their health information.

The health center also is working to expand its Women's Clinic and the Allergy and Travel Medicine Clinic. The project included the relocation and expansion of the Center for Alcohol Awareness and Education and Health Promotions Department, which includes a demonstration kitchen.

"We will offer classes to students in the fall on healthy cooking and will provide cooking demonstrations," Rachun said.

The idea for the kitchen came about as a response to students who expressed interest in learning how to cook.

"I had been seeing students individually and doing food demonstrations on campus and saw [students had] an increased interest in knowing how to cook," said Alice Bender, a registered dietician and nutrition services coordinator at the health center.

The kitchen is for "students who don't have an idea on how to cook or know a few things and want to know how to vary their diet," Bender said.

The demonstrations will teach food safety and grocery shopping.

"This [kitchen] is a big deal. I believe that we are number one in the country to offer nutritious cooking through a health center," Rachun said.

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