Part of being an advocate is making your voice heard and unless some of us start speaking out, the status quo will continue.
As Graduate Student Senator for the College of Health Sciences and Professions, I wanted to send you an official statement with my support of all four inclusions options from Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi's GSS presentation on the new OU health insurance policy.
Covering travel immunizations is part of preventive care and if the university continues to exclude this service, it may be unintentionally creating a public health risk.
As the GSS Senator (for the College of Health Sciences and Professions) and a practicing RN, I have a professional and ethical commitment to support inclusion of health coverage for transgender-related treatment. As a human being and a mother, I have a responsibility to behave in a manner that is accepting of all individuals. My vision is to attend a university that does not discriminate against anyone — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. I hope my fellow students will join me in support of this issue.
In regards to the current exclusion for injuries "caused by, contributed to, or resulting from the use of alcohol... any drugs...," I believe this may be discriminatory against individuals with dependency or addiction problems. I am not by any means encouraging the use of drugs or excessive alcohol. Rather, I am in support of a university environment that cares about these problems and does not reinforce the negative social stigma associated with addiction.
Finally, I am in support of the administrative fee for a health care liaison/student advocacy position. As many of us have discovered from personal experience, navigating insurance policies can be very difficult. I feel having an individual that is here on campus with the responsibility of advocating for the students (not the insurance company) is a service that is truly needed.
I hope my fellow students will join me in support of these proposed changes for the upcoming health insurance policy.
Sincerely,
Lauren Mente is graduate student studying nursing at OU and is the Graduate Student Senator for the College of Health Sciences and Professions.
