The Student Fee Review Board toured Colorado State University’s new Health and Medical Center located on the corner of Lake Street and College Avenue on Monday, Sept. 26.
The Student Fee Review Board is a group of student representatives who oversee $55 million in student fees. Some members of the Associated Students of Colorado State University serve on the board.
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The building is a $59-million-dollar project funded by student fees, private donations and self-generated revenue from the CSU Health Network.
“The Student Fee Review Board really takes a look at the health center,” said Mike Lensky, ASCSU Vice President and SFRB Chairman. “The Health Network takes about $200 per semester and counseling services takes about $44 per semester, so it’s about $244 dollars a semester that is going into this fee.”
According to CSU Health Network Executive Director Anne Hudgens, the new center would address problems that the current centers are not capable of handling.
“The biggest thing is that it will get all our services under one roof,” Hudgens said. “We’re in three locations right now. Counseling and medical (services) are separate, and the health education folks are separate.”
Hudgens also said that the new building will house more counselors than the current facilities can provide for.
“We have more demand for counseling services than we have space to put counselors currently,” Hudgens said. “We’ve got a partnership with the VA (Veteran’s Affairs)… and we literally have them in a closet in Hartshorn.”
The tour was well received by members of the SFRB, who were guided through the construction site by Hudgens.
“The first thing that came to mind was, ‘Wow, I got to share this,’” said Danait Hailemicael, first-time board member. “When you actually get to do the tour and you’re asking questions and getting answers from these directors as to why they’re building what they’re building, it makes me feel a little more relieved.”
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The CSU Health and Medical Center, which reached its halfway point of construction on Aug. 1, is anticipated to open during the summer of 2017.
The new center will provide full medical and mental health services to students under one building. Consisting of four floors, three will be dedicated to students and faculty.
Key highlights of the facility include a public walk-in clinic, pharmacy, occupational health services, imaging resources and an infusion therapy center.
The first floor will also feature public bathrooms where people can take showers after commuting to campus without a car. The CSU Health Network worked with the CSU Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board for this service.
At least 15,065 students used CSU Health Network services during the 2016 Fiscal Year, according to a pamphlet from the Health Network.
According to the CSU Health Network, 48.4 percent of all CSU students used medical services, 12 percent of CSU students used both medical and counseling, and 18.3 percent of students used counseling services.
Collegian reporter Gabriel Go can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @rgabrielgo.
