The Columbia Chronicle
On-campus health clinic opens for full-timers
A new on-site clinic opened on March 5, for full-time faculty and staff enrolled in the Columbia College health plan. The clinic will be free for those in its health plan, and no co-pay or deductable is required for those who qualify.
According to Patricia Olalde, director of Human Resources, Columbia periodically reviews the benefits available to faculty and sees what can be offered. Olalde said vice president of Business Affairs Mike DeSalle pitched the idea about two years ago and wanted to offer more in the way of employee health benefits. From there, the plan developed into what it is today.
The site is located in the Alexandroff Campus Center, 600 S. Michigan Ave., in what was previously the payroll office. The clinic will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
According to the office of Human Resources, employees are not the only ones who can use the plan. Their spouse, domestic partner and eligible dependents who are at least six years old may also use the clinic. The site can be used separately, or in conjunction with a family doctor.
According to a memo sent to faculty, the clinic is not available to those in the Illinois Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO due to the plan’s restrictions.
“We’re really excited, and we hope that the employees take advantage of these great benefits,” Olalde said.
n staff are two Care ATC physicians, Dr. Gary Bucher and Dr. Leigh Roberts. Bucher is available on Wednesdays and Fridays while Roberts has Thursday hours. In addition to the two doctors, there will also be a nurse practitioner on site.
Bucher specializes in men’s health. Before he came to Columbia, he worked at Radius Health, a specialized men’s health clinic in Irving Park. Roberts specializes in women’s health and HIV, and works at a family health clinic in Chicago.
“I’m bringing primary care to the workplace, and we really hope that it’s going to have lasting benefits for people’s health,” Roberts said. “Essentially anything you would go to the doctor for, to talk about or work on, you’ll be able to do [here].”
The clinic will provide the types of services that a patient would get from a regular visit to the doctor’s office, including lab tests and certain medications. The provided physicians still adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which provides privacy security for medical data.
“They still have the same patient-doctor relationship,” Olalde said. “The college has no access to their medical files.”
Barbara Iverson, a full-time journalism professor, said the clinic is a good idea.
“I usually go every year to get my blood tested,” she said. “It’s convenient. One time when I was riding to another job I fell off my bike and my knees were all scraped,” Iverson said. “It wasn’t a big medical emergency, but it would be nice to have a sanitary place to clean that off and not get an infection. It’s really supportive.”
Since the college’s health insurance plan is only open to those full-time faculty and staff members enrolled in one of the plans, some faculty are not able to utilize the clinic.
Kenneth Hope, a part-time professor at Columbia, isn’t enrolled in one of Columbia’s health plans and therefore cannot use the new clinic at Columbia. “It seems sort of restrictive,” he said.
“It’s a good idea for some,” Hope said. “It’s a good start. Maybe they can expand it later.”
Hope said he’d like to see the program grow to include patients who are not enrolled in one of Columbia’s plans, so even part-time teachers and staff could use the facility.
The on-campus health clinic for full-time faculty and staff is located in the Alexandroff Campus Center, 600 S. Michigan Ave., suite 402. To make an appointment or for more information, call (800) 993-8244.