When an influenza outbreak hit campus in January, the SMU Memorial Health Center medical staff treated hundreds of flu-related complaints and teamed up with the Dallas County Health Department to offer a series of vaccine clinics. A total of 1,000 flu shots was administered
in a matter of days.
With the mission of helping students maintain good health, the clinic dispenses effective doses of prevention, education and assistance. The Health Center houses Medical Services on the first floor, and on the second floor, Counseling and Psychiatric Services, the Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, and Services for Students with Disabilities.
Staff, programs and services have been expanded over the past decade to meet changing student needs, says Pat Hite, director of health services for the past 13 years. “Especially
in the area of drug and alcohol counseling, we’re taking a more proactive approach than when I started here in the 1990s.&rdquo
Several recent improvements evolved from recommendations made by the SMU Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention. The center’s hours have been extended to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and emergency services are available from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In November, Nurse Response, a medical triage phone service, was implemented to provide 24-hour health
care advice and assistance. A total of 64 calls had been received as of mid-March, with 34 occurring in January during the
flu outbreak.
In addition, the center is emphasizing health education as a preventive measure. Megan Knapp, who holds a Master’s degree in public health, joined SMU in 2007 as health educator. “I cover everything health related, but a lot of my effort also is focused on substance abuse issues,” she says.
She teaches two classes designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to intervene with peers who wrestle with substance abuse issues:
- TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) provides strategies and language to use in situations where alcohol is being abused or misused, she explains. Topics such as evaluating behavioral clues and devising appropriate responses are covered in the 2.5-hour class, which 200 students completed in the fall.
- Because I Care supplements the TIPS program by emphasizing drug abuse intervention techniques. Last fall, 700 students completed the one-hour Wellness module. “The idea is to create a caring community so that when students see friends grapple with abuse problems, they’ll step up and say something and assist them in getting help,” Knapp says.
A Peer Advising Network (PAN) that Knapp is building expands the student-to-student conversation to such matters as sexual responsibility, safety and stress alleviation. “The aim is for students to get involved, to take responsibility for themselves, their campus and their community.”
– Patricia Ward