Students know the scene: perpetual coughing noises from the back row masked only by nose blowing and a chorus of sneezes. Yet when allergies ran rampant on campus in past years, students were at a loss for quick treatment in Athens.
But Campus Care’s newest asset, an allergy specialist, might simplify the process of testing and treating allergy symptoms in Athens.
Daryn Straley, an Ohio University alumnus and former medical director for the United States Air Force, officially joined the Campus Care team last December.
Until recently, one other allergist treated allergy sufferers in Athens. Christopher Clark, the allergist at Holzer Clinic, visits Athens once a week to treat patients, said Hannah McKibben, a receptionist at Holzer.
“(Allergy testing at Campus Care) is still in the early stages of development, but I don’t think people know the opportunity to be tested and treated here even exists,” Straley said.
Straley works in Quick Care but holds Monday morning appointments for allergy testing, said Tonya Burdette, director at Campus Care.
Before he joined Campus Care, the health center did not conduct allergy testing for students, but Burdette said treatment was available for patients who were already prescribed medication.
“For a while now, the clinic has been equipped to deliver them their regular shot treatment,” Straley said. “But if they actually needed to be tested and evaluated, they needed to do that back in their hometown.”
Students seeking allergy treatment begin by making an appointment with a Campus Care provider, he said. From there, the provider determines whether the student qualifies as a candidate for testing.
“Allergy testing comes into play when you see your provider and basically try to manage things from a conservative standpoint and medications aren’t doing the trick,” Straley said.
Using over-the-counter medications such as Claritin and avoiding allergy triggers such as household pets are the best initial methods for combating allergy symptoms, he said. The next step is testing and treatment for allergies.
The three categories that Straley tests for are nose allergies, eye allergies, and a general category of skin allergies and asthma problems, he said.
Straley tests for allergies using a panel of agents common to Athens, including tree pollens, grass pollens, cockroaches and molds.
“He has all the tests and does everything right here,” said Karen Robinson, nursing supervisor at Campus Care.
Typical candidates are those who experience a chronic runny nose or watery eyes, but the best candidates to undergo testing and possible treatment are those who suffer from asthma, Straley said.
“To say, ‘I no longer have itchy, watery eyes anymore,’ is one thing,” he said. “But to say, ‘I no longer wheeze,’ is another.”
If a student qualifies for treatment after being tested, Straley administers shots in the fatty portion of a patient’s arm. Allergy testing continues every year for three to five years, Straley said.
“One of the things that I love about doing allergy medicine is that it does provide so many more options for people who do suffer from allergy symptoms,” he said. “I think it really vastly improves the quality of their lives.”
sg409809@ohiou.edu
