The Johns Hopkins Student Health and Wellness Center relocated from the basement of AMR II to the second floor of 3003 North Charles Street during the summer.
Located directly below the Homewood Apartments at Hopkins Square, the Student Health and Wellness Center still fosters their mission statement by supporting the education and development of students by promoting their optimal health and well being.
Just as before the "Big Move," the moniker the staff at the Student Health and Wellness Center assigned to the establishment's relocation, there is no charge for students who are eligible for service; visiting students must pay nominal fees.
Students eligible for services include undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students enrolled in full-time programs at the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering.
Dr. Alain Joffe, the Medical Director at the Student Health & Wellness Center, explained that the facility was moved for several reasons.
"We desperately needed more space; the space we did have was old and not really configured appropriately for a health center," Joffe said. "We wanted to be in close physical proximity to the Counseling Center. The new space is much brighter and much more welcoming."
As for changes, there are now two separate waiting areas for sick and healthy students. Soon, students will be able to check in by themselves at computer kiosks, which the old facility did not have space for, to complete any forms needed electronically. Forms filled out at kiosks will automatically be incorporated into their medical records. The exam rooms and bathrooms are much larger and can easily accommodate handicapped students.
In order to address students concerns about confidentiality, the new facility features extensive soundproofing. The space itself is designed to maximize infection control procedures because there are no carpets in patient care areas and all surfaces can be wiped clean.
In addition, the Student Health and Wellness Center is down the hall from the Counseling Center. "[This allows for] increased collaboration between the two staffs because many students are seen at the Counseling Center and the Student Health and Wellness Center," Joffe said.
Joffe also believes that with more exam rooms, there will be more efficiency and less waiting time for students.
Over the last couple of weeks, the relocation of the Student Health & Wellness center has received mixed reviews. Tara Nicola, a sophomore who resides at the Homewood Apartments, has mixed opinions about the Student Health and Wellness Center's move.
"The move to Hopkins Square definitely has its pros and cons. Facilities wise, the building where it is now situated is more modern and larger and just nicer in general," Nicola said.
However, Nicola finds that since the Health and Wellness Center is off-campus, it is not as convenient to go to as it was at its prior location. Although the center provides medical care to upper and underclassmen, she believes that there is a strong demand for the Health and Wellness Center from the underclassmen who live on or much closer to campus.
"Because it is now further away, individuals, especially freshmen who are still getting acquainted with the campus, may not want to venture all the way down towards 30th Street. Not receiving the proper medical attention in a timely fashion is not only harmful to the individual, but also is harmful to the community as a whole as it increases the likelihood of infections, colds, and viruses spreading," Nicola said.
Joffe strongly contends that the relocation does not make the Student Health and Wellness Center less approachable.
He acknowledges that most students at Hopkins live in Charles Village, and the Student Health and Wellness Center is located in the heart of Charles Village. For students living on the Freshmen Quad, Joffe states that the center is just a few minutes further away.
"As I walk about the area, I see lots of students going to the various Hopkins Centers along Charles Street going to Maxie's Pizza, to the bookstore, to Hillel, to the Center for Social Concerns, to the Multicultural Student Center, and to all the businesses and eateries on St. Paul between 31st and 33rd Street. We are no further than any of those places," Joffe said.
The main concerns raised by freshmen are where is the Student Health and Wellness Center located now and why is it off-campus.
"I do not know where the Health and Wellness Center is; and if it is off-campus, I do not like that because it is intended for Johns Hopkins students," Mariana Giraldez, a freshman who resides at the AMRs, said.
"I just took a trek over there over the weekend to see where it was because I was going to make a visit later on during the week," Building A resident Freddy Lamar said. "The Health and Wellness Center is in an inconvenient location to students. If I were really ill, I would not have the energy to walk that far and would rather stay in bed and wait it out. Plus, its current location is secluded from the public eye. I would not have found it if I did not have assistance."
Freshman Nikhil Sontha, who lives in Wolman Hall, does not mind that the health facility is off-campus.
"I guess the relocation is more approachable to me because I live in Wolman, and it is just down the street for me!" Sontha said.
Building B resident Ike Suberu said she was not fond of the Student Health and Wellness Center being off-campus.
Suberu said, "I feel as though it is less approachable because I have not seemed to find time to go there to fill up my prescription. If it was closer like right by the AMRs, I think I would have done it by now."
Though Hopkins undergrads hold different opinions about the relocation of the Student Health and Wellness Center, the excellent quality of care received by students by the center's staff will remain the same.
"I only have good things to say about the Health and Wellness Center!" Nicola said. "I am treated in a timely and professional manner. It is definitely convenient having a place on campus that can do blood work and other tests so that I do not have to travel off-campus. I really like the bags they give you when you are sick, which I am all the time, that have tissues, cough drops, and tea!"
Joffe hopes that students come see the new Student Health and Wellness Center for themselves.
"The space is beautiful!" Joffe said. "It looks professional, like a real Health Center. In moving to this location and to this facility, we were able to address almost all of the concerns students raised about the health center, and I am very pleased that we could do that for students.
"Hopkins students deserve a center like this."
