Editorial : Health Services moves in hopeful direction
Health Services went two years without a director. The leadership void left important duties like special campus projects, expansion and public relations to an over-stretched group of administrative staff.
Health Services administrators have told The Daily Orange that pressing issues such as shortness of space could not be addressed until Syracuse University hired a director. The new director, Ben Domingo, opens a new and hopeful chapter for the health center.
Domingo has already shown ingenuity and energy, things the center badly needs as a vital part of student life and health. He has started reaching out to students, increased marketing and promotional efforts to students and is working to change the culture of the center.
The latter highlights one of the greatest of Domingo’s early projects. Domingo said he wants the center’s staff to treat students as their own children and to not turn someone away even if the center is about to close. College often marks students’ first extended time away from home and, even more important, away from a primary physician or lifelong pediatrician. Building trust and providing support should be a primary concern for the center. And it will be exciting to watch the culture of the center transform.
Domingo has also made efforts to promote the center more effectively. His openness and candor already shows he’s moving the center in the right direction. As a critical center filled with medical experts dedicated to providing student support, health services should by nature be transparent and its staff should be available. Domingo has proven thus far to be committed to that.
Even before hiring a director, Health Services blasted emails to campus about free flu shots and has promoted its availability with diligence. Domingo should consider such measures for other more mundane services. Many students are unsure whether it’s cheaper to go to Health Services or a local pharmacy for prescriptions. Equipping students with basic facts about services and what their student fee covers should be a priority.
