Hudson Health Center began this year with a renovated first floor, but it also has hired a new physician and is gearing up for an electronic registration system.
With more than 40,000 student visits to Hudson every year, the building's entryway needed renovated mainly because of an outdated heating and cooling system, said Jackie Legg, business manager for Ohio University Student Health Services.
By using the majority of the $243,000 in OU facility maintenance's common space money ' funds designed for entryways and hallways ' and a budget excess from Student Health Services, the maintenance department relocated the medical director and student insurance offices, moved the pharmacy, added two pharmacists and expanded the waiting area.
Legg said the renovations, which began in June and went on throughout the summer, were a response to a survey of students in the College of Health and Human Services. While the renovations addressed several problems in the building, some could not be completed because of limited space, including the addition of separate kiosks for registration and a separate study area.
One other recent development in Hudson is its wireless capability, Legg said, adding a computer-based registration process is in the works, though no timeline has been set.
In addition to facility improvements, Hudson also hired a new physician this month. Dr. Cathy Comerci, who will make $93,000 annually, joins Hudson's staff of four physicians and two nurse practitioners.
Legg said Hudson also plans to hire a second psychiatrist in January to expand the service's hours of availability.
Although OU students have noticed an improvement in the facility, some said Hudson still needs work.
OU junior Karly Eckhardt, who has visited Hudson up to 20 times since coming to OU as a freshman, said adding one more physician still might not be enough.
It seems that they need more staff to accommodate the number of students that come in
she said.
Another OU student, freshman Leah Foreman, said that she had visited Hudson twice this year and left because of the high number of students waiting for service.
An anonymous student survey, taken every two years, reported last year students spent about 32 minutes waiting for services and one hour from check-in to checkout at Hudson during its busiest afternoon time. The next survey will be taken next year, Legg said. 17
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