Two years ago, students would rather fight off the flu on their own than even think about taking a step into Hudson Health Center. Wait times were atrocious, diagnoses were questionable and some of the medical examination tables looked like they were nearly a hundred years old — because they were. Many students figured it was more likely they’d walk out of Hudson sicker than when they arrived.
It only took a few students’ horror stories to keep other students away from the center. One person’s bad experience was enough to derail any student activity at Hudson.
Now, with new management and a new name, OU’s Campus Care is making strides toward being an adequate health facility for students. Hudson’s been given a face-lift on the exterior and major renovations are planned for the inside. The number of exam rooms will be doubled, in addition to a fresh waiting room and cosmetic changes to the outside.
With guidance from Dr. Kent Smith, vice president of student affairs, and an assessment from Dr. Fred Kam, the medical director at Auburn University, Hudson Health Center’s transition into Campus Care has been a fairly smooth one.
Wait times did drop last Winter Quarter, but given all the recent construction and renovations, wait times have inched up again. Bear with Campus Care on this one, though. By the time OU students return for Winter Quarter, the $600,000 renovations should be complete and students can expect a much swifter waiting room flow.
Campus Care’s concrete changes show their affinity for wanting to be a better health center for its students. The renovations are curtailed toward a better experience overall. They include anything from including soundproof rooms and ensuring privacy for students to specialty services like allergy shots and chronic diseases treatments.
Instead of running for the hills, students will hopefully be more likely to visit Campus Care as their primary-care provider when ailments arise. And there seems to be no better timing than Winter Quarter to have a health center students can finally rely on.
Kudos to Campus Care’s new administrators for putting in the work necessary to get the once “unhealthy” health center up to snuff, and the same goes to Smith, whose work to improve the center has proven that student health is indeed a priority for university leaders.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
