Cal State Northridge offers a medical health clinic that serves as a critical facility needed for underinsured, underpaid, overworked college students.
Klotz Student Health Center offers basic health services that are vital to a person’s health and wellness at no cost or a low affordable cost to currently enrolled students. The facility includes doctors who specialize in internal medicine, men’s health, gynecology, optometry, dermatology, nutrition, and dental to name a few. It also offers an on-site pharmacy, radiology (x-ray) technician and laboratory.
“This is not a walk-in clinic, it is all very intentional, it’s in the best interest of the student to make an appointment,” said Sharon Aronoff a Health Educator from the Klotz Student Health Center.
Every student is charged a student health fee of $56 per semester that is included in their tuition fees. This fee is mandatory for all students and gives them access to free basic health services at the center.
Each service administered at the Klotz Center is kept confidential from other students, professors and friends. Only the provider and the patient have access to the records. Students under 18 years old must have a parent sign a release form that allows them to be seen at the center and all services will still remain confidential, even from the parent.
Health facilities such as the one offered on campus are essential to every student who cannot afford insurance or who simply doesn’t want to pay the co-payment fees involved with insurance companies. Over 50 million American adults are without health insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“I didn’t want to go with my insurance, I looked on the CSUN website and found the Klotz Center and saw what they offered. Every time I got sick they would see me right away, the next day. It’s so reasonable I always go to the Klotz Center before anywhere else,” said Jaimie Phillips a senior majoring in kinesiology.
Klotz along with its minimal to no fees accepts the Family PACT program. Family PACT is for men and women who are uninsured, underinsured or have some barrier to sexual and reproductive health.
“The premise of the program is to keep people healthy and prevent pregnancies for people who do not want to get pregnant,” said Aronoff.
Under Family PACT, students who fall within the requirements may make appointments for routine check-ups, STD testing, birth control, including condoms, all free of cost. Each year, STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the U.S. to become infertile according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. Adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15-19 and 20-24 are at a higher risk for obtaining STDs than any other people.
Aronoff said many students may use the facility only as a perceived need. If students don’t perceive the need for the service then they may not seek it out. However, routine check-ups, reproductive health screenings, dental exams are all needed for every individual to maintain a clean bill of health.
“When I went I no longer had dental insurance and it was really inexpensive at the Klotz Center. I only used it for a filling but I thought it was great,” said Rachel Benjamin a 2011 graduate who majored in sociology.
Another service, they offer free of cost, is alcohol, tobacco, and drug counseling. A specialist will sit down with any student who is having problems, with a family member, friend, roommate or any other person in their life that affects the student in terms of substance abuse.
If the pressures and stress from classes are getting to a student they can easily make an appointment with on of the four licensed massage therapist. Currently, a 50-minute massage will run a student $29.
“Take advantage of everything you can. We have an incredible wealth of resources on this campus, it only helps students’ success. You already paid for it, might as well use it,” said Aronoff.
