Last spring, the LSU Student Health Center quietly closed its doors to its only on-campus pharmacy, which provided many valuable services for students including filling prescriptions, giving vaccinations and providing over-the-counter medications. The closure prompted concern from many students who relied on the pharmacy for their medical needs.
Many students, including myself, had no knowledge of the existence of an on-campus pharmacy prior to its closure. The pharmacy started to lose money as early as 2012 due to lack of usage and finally closed in the spring of 2018 because it was no longer financially stable enough to remain open.
College is a very busy and stressful time, and sometimes students may feel too busy with their studies to visit the Student Health Center or look into the services it provides when they need medical care. If more students would have been aware there was an on-campus pharmacy, it would have received more patients and been able to sustain itself financially.
Student Government was not involved in the decision to close the pharmacy’s doors, but they should have taken initiative in making students aware of the cause. The lack of a pharmacy at the Student Health Center slows the process of getting medical resources, and traveling when you are sick increases the chance of possibly spreading illnesses.
An on-campus pharmacy provides a convenient one-stop shop for students living on-campus, especially international students who may not be familiar with the area. Freshman students are now required to live on campus, and not having access to a pharmacy could cause issues for students without vehicles.
The Student Health Center made the correct decision to not subsidize the cost of the on-campus pharmacy with student fee money, but the University should continue to try to keep as many health services as possible. Funding for the University’s health services always seems to be low, but maybe this will change in the future.
The Student Health Center should continue to encourage students to utilize its services for medical care. Being sick when you have a test and multiple papers due in the same week makes it very difficult to stay on track with schoolwork. Illnesses and common colds spread very quickly on college campuses, and it is never fun to be taking makeup tests and being a week behind in your classes. The health of students directly impacts students’ grades. Ill students trying to tough it out and attend class despite illness is a commonplace because many students are worried about falling behind in their classes.
Not having an on-campus pharmacy limits the amount of care students receive. The removal of the only on-campus pharmacy forces students to travel to Walgreens or other pharmacies off campus to get their prescriptions filled. Students living on campus deserve the convenience of an on-campus pharmacy for their medical needs.
Funding for the Student Health Center should always be a top priority for state lawmakers when deciding the budget. The mental and physical health of young adults enrolled in college is imperative to their academic success and overall well-being. Our representatives need to take on this responsibility as it is vital to the future of our University and its students.
Max Nedanovich is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Mandeville, Louisiana.
