The Health Center staying open until 6:30 p.m. can be beneficial because some students do not have time for appointments between classes.
As seasons change and the weather gets cooler, midterms approach and sniffles can be heard throughout campus. With the large number of students at Cal Poly, the Health Center is trying to respond to the growing student population by extending their hours Mondays and Wednesdays.
Instead of closing at 4:30 p.m., the Health Center will stay open for an extra two hours, closing at 6:30 p.m. The extended hours of the facility are beneficial to the students because, between getting enough sleep, going to class and completing homework, visiting the Health Center may not fit into their schedule.
With the new extended times, however, students can plan accordingly.
“The main reason we started (the) pilot program is to benefit students and make it more convenient for them to plan around their classes,” said Dr. David Harris, interim director of Health and Counseling services.
With the Health Center open for two more hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, the doctors will see more students. With Cal Poly’s largest ever incoming freshman class and new transfer students, the Cal Poly population has grown. Therefore, there are more students visiting the Health Center.
Harris said there has been a significant increase in the number of patient visits, and student requests led to the extended hours.
“I think the extended hours are great,” history freshman Amanda Citrenbaum said. “Many students have classes that would’ve exceeded previous Health Center hours, so now they’ll have more access.”
There is only one physician and one counselor available during the 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. hours. Due to the lack of a full staff, patients will have to schedule appointments for that time.
On busy days, when students have several classes to attend, visiting the Health Center can prove to be difficult. This is something the Health Center hopes to address.
“My classes are from 11 a.m. straight through to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, so (the extended hours) would be beneficial to me,” animal science freshman Tristan Noack said.