BY EMMA RUBIN ’20
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Mount Holyoke Student Government Association (SGA) Senate held a town hall with Health Center officials. Director of Health Services Karen Engell, Medical Director Cheryl Flynn, BeWell Director Karen Jacobus and Nursing Coordinator Susan Ferraro spoke on the panel.
Engell explained the changes in the Health Center’s services this academic year. The Center expanded primary care options, paired all first-year students with a specific provider and introduced more autonomy over mental health prescriptions.
The first question came from the senator for Mount Holyoke Fencing, who expressed concern that athletic training services are no longer available for club sports. The senator asked if health services would offer an equivalent service. Engell said that it is an issue the Center is working on, but whatever the solution is, it will not look exactly like what was previously available at Kendall Sport and Dance Complex.
A few students shared personal experiences with the Health Center, including feeling ignored on mental health issues and receiving an incorrect prescription that caused a steroid overdose.
“When you feel like we’ve missed it, to the extent that you are able, I want to know about those situations,” Engell said.
In response, one senator brought up a meme recently circulated on Facebook, which has become a thread of over 100 comments regarding service at the Health Center.
“I’m aware there is a meme,” Engell said. She struggled to quantify the mostly negative comments in the private Facebook group versus the responses they have received in anonymous student surveys, which have been largely positive. This year, the Health Center has piloted more open-ended questions in surveys in order to hear specific concerns. The panel also encouraged students to voice their concerns to the provider when in an appointment.
“That to me is healthcare,” Flynn said. “How do we engage with the patient so we can figure these things out together?”
Other questions related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issues. Engell shared the center’s efforts to improve the diversity of the staff, including reaching out to minority-nursing organizations and networking beyond traditional settings. In an anonymous question, a student shared their experience of being misgendered.
“It’s always disappointing when I hear we didn’t get it right,” Engell said. She emphasized how pronouns can be listed in health center profiles and hoped that staff introduce themselves with their pronouns while asking for a patient’s to prevent future misgendering.
The panel also talked about Mount Holyoke’s stress culture and how it relates to the Health Center. Jacobus explained the BeWell Program integrates four core components: healthy body, mind, community and life.
The Health Center is in conversation with academic deans to consider short and long-term objectives to better address stress culture.