NIC’s Student Health and Counseling Services recently signed a contract with the non-profit clinic Heritage Health to provide students more extensive on-campus health care without additional fees.
Health services include basic health care, such as physical evaluations and treatment of acute illnesses and minor injuries; reproductive care and education; referrals for surgery, medical and dental care.
Full-time students pay with their tuition the same health and counseling fee as before, and are eligible to receive many of these services free of charge, though there are fees for lab testing and x-rays.
Prior to the contract with Heritage Health, NIC hired a private nursing practitioner, which service was unable to develop electronic medical records or communicate with students’ primary physicians for the most comprehensive care. With Heritage Health, these benefits will now be possible.
Heritage Health provides NIC with a full medical faculty of nurse practitioners and assistants, and will now be open full-time, Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m., on the second floor of Edminster Student Union Building. “I think we’re on the right track with this,” Tim Gerlitz, Director of Student Health Services, said.
Many students were unaware of the health and counseling services the school offers.
“I didn’t even know about it, or understand where to go… It should be part of orientation,” Constance Rich, 33, Physical Therapy, said. “After orientation you’re just running from class to class.”
Counseling services are provided through the Disability Support Services center located in Seiter Hall, Room 100.
North Idaho College sent out a proposal for bids from community medical clinics; Heritage Health, a not-for-profit Federal-aid qualified clinic, submitted the winning bid, officially taking charge on August 24.
“Now is the time to teach preventative health measures. Our true focus is to help students look at preventative measures for life and be successful,” Gerlitz said. “There will be a lot of exceptional payoffs with Heritage Health.”
Future plans include expanding health services to the Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry campuses, as well as opening immunization clinics.
