In an effort to improve the situation, the Michigan Student Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday to support the clinic and present the issues to Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford and other administrators. While the MSA resolution is a good first step, it is not a cure-all. MSA President Michael Nagrant should bring the issue to the table at the next University Board of Regents meeting to convey the importance of the clinic and present its current financial distress. North Campus students fund UHS through their tuition dollars, but the service is often too distant to be utilized by them. They still must pay separate fees to support the North Campus clinic. In addition, students must pay for visits to the clinic if they do not have adequate health insurance. The University should provide funding for the clinic to help alleviate students' large financial burdens.
In addition to supporting the already existing programs that the clinic provides, the administration should provide additional funding to help the clinic expand its services. MSA is the students' voice - including students living in the North Campus area. The population has particularly strong health-care needs - many of the campus' residents are families with small children.
It is likely that these young families have insufficient health insurance, potentially forcing them to struggle with medical care or forgo it altogether. The clinic prevents these families from having to take a 15-minute bus ride in order to treat sick children or take care of other health problems. With some assistance from the University, the clinic could get back on its feet and run smoothly. In addition, the clinic could help fulfill other unmet medical needs of the North Campus student population. The clinic must also be equipped to inform families about situations of domestic abuse or violence.
The University should expand the clinic's existing resources. The approaching winter months will likely bring a large number of student-parents and children seeking care. The North Campus clinic could help increase the quality of health care available to students and families and provide a more convenient location to students living on North Campus.