By Christopher Sanchez

Reporter

Three years ago, a forklift ran over my left foot when I was working at a warehouse. Due to pride and stubbornness, I never got my foot examined.

My foot developed strange scarring under the skin and it started to bother me again.

I scheduled an appointment at the Student Health Services and had an X-ray taken of my foot.

Any enrolled CSU Bakersfield student can go into Student Health Services across from the Icardo Center, but not all students take advantage of it.

Students pay a health service fee of $302.

“Students need to take advantage and schedule an appointment,” said Erika Delamar, associate director of Student Health Services.  “Wellness plays an important role in your success here at CSUB. There are other factors that affect you in the classroom.”

After 15 minutes, Dr. Gambrioli and I discussed the results of the X-ray. A fee of $15 is charged for X-rays.

“We went digital two years ago,” said Janet Chambers, X-ray technologist.  “It’s made everything faster.”

Services include treatment rooms, X-ray, a clinical laboratory, pharmacy services and women’s services. Contraception and family planning counseling are provided as well. Mental health services are provided by the Counseling Center.

Students can also qualify for Family PACT (Planning, Access, Care, Treatment). Family PACT will provide eligible students with birth control information, pregnancy testing, and contraceptives for free.  To find out if you are eligible, you can fill out a form at Student Health Services.

Prescriptions can be filled at the pharmacy and they sell over the counter medication.

There can be a miscommunication between students and Student Health Services.

“When I transferred here, no one told us anything about (the Health Center).  If they explained the services at orientation, that would’ve really helped,” said Eric Medina, junior communications major at CSUB.

All information at Student Health Services is confidential. No information is made public unless the patient or student has given written permission and consent. The only exception is when it is required by law.

I checked in at 9 a.m., and was checked out by 9:51 a.m.

This included paperwork, a nurse checking my vitals, consultation with the doctor, getting my foot X-rayed and discussing the results.

The results showed that my foot had some nerve damage from the forklift incident, but no bone spurs or breaks.

Quality wasn’t sacrificed for speed.

Some students might be more comfortable using their own doctor, but you can’t beat the convenience.

The Student Health Center can be reached at (661) 654-2394