After operating as an urgent care facility for the past month, Student Health Services will resume normal service next Tuesday, officials said.
Students will be able to schedule routine appointments, including physicals, women’s health exams, vaccinations and STI testing, Janet Smith Dickerson, The Claremont Colleges Services vice president for student affairs, announced in an email to students Friday.
The center will still be unable to administer allergy shots, but is working on bringing this service back, TCCS spokesperson Colin Tudor said via email. SHS will be closed on Monday for staff training, Dickerson said.
“We again apologize for any confusion or difficulties the temporary reduction in services created and appreciate the understanding and patience as we worked through this difficult time,” Tudor said.
SHS has been operating as an urgent-care only facility, and has not taken routine appointments, since Sept. 24 due to a “critical” shortage of registered nurses and medical providers, TSL previously reported. The departures of two registered nurses, both due to personal reasons, left SHS unable to provide routine services to students.
SHS has struggled to hire new registered nurses amidst a competitive regional marketplace, Dickerson told TSL.
The move attracted widespread concern from students and parents. Students were not directly notified about the decision until a week or more after it was made, and 5C deans were not informed until after the decision was made, Dickerson and Tudor told TSL last week, although TCCS officials had previously said the deans had been involved in the decision.
During the period of restricted service, students were referred to off-campus providers.
Marc Rod PO ’20 is from Rye Brook, New York. He previously served as TSL’s managing editor, news editor, news associate and news writer.