Healthcare and the general wellness of the American population has been one of the biggest topics of discussion for the past decade, but the students who walk the grounds of Weber State have attentive and affordable resources readily available and nearby.

Some of the services provided include Weber State University’s own health clinic, dental hygiene clinic, and psychological/counseling services, to name a few. With the help of student fees, these benefits are available at heavily reduced costs, and are at times, free to the student body.

One example of free services available, although limited, are flu shots that are accessible for students once the fall season starts. Even if students miss their opportunity to get a free shot, they are still able to head to the clinic and receive one at a low cost.

Rochelle Creager, student wellness coordinator, helps provide a more comprehensive wellness service and abides by the student wellness program’s mission of providing “evidence-based Health Education programming, services and resources to meet the health and wellness needs of our unique student population.” Helping students develop healthy lifestyles involving their eight dimensions of wellness are essential for students to lead engaged lives in and outside of the classroom, as stated on their website.

“The student health center, the counseling center and the student wellness program all exist because physical and mental health concerns have a real impact on a student’s academics,” Creager said. “It actually makes a lot of sense to the university to provide services to students to take care of them outside of the classroom, to ensure that they’re able to be present and ready to learn when they are in class.”

With students’ fees helping lower the cost of these services, enrolled students are able to divulge in these services with reduced costs and no co-pay charges, regardless of if they are insured or not.

According to the 2016 U.S. Census Bureau, young adults between the ages of 19 and 25 had an uninsured rate of 12.5 percent to 14.7 percent. To put that into perspective, with Weber’s 26,000 student population with approximately 44% falling under the age of 25, roughly 1,372 to 3,640 students could have the possibility of being uninsured while attending school.

Approximately 18 percent of adults have a mental health condition, as stated by Mental Health America in their 2017 review. Around 56 percent do not receive treatment due to lack of access to care. Suzy Heugly FNP, an instructor with the school of nursing and assistant at the Davis campus health clinic, recommends students go to services such as the counseling and psychological center to help take care of themselves in a healthy way.

“Sometimes trying to develop our education with our mind, sometimes we neglect taking care of our bodies,” Heugly said. She also pointed out students often neglect health preventative measures as they attend school, and encourages students to take advantage of the resources readily available to them.

“We are big on being advocates for health in our community,” Heugly said. “I would love for [the students] to know that we are here to support them, we’re here to make sure that they’re not only happy and progressing with their education, but healthy along the way.”

For a full list of resources available for students and detailed information, visit the student wellness website at www.weber.edu/studentwellness/ or call 801-626-7524.