Student health in focus

UHS director discusses top health care concerns

ollege can be the best--or the worst--time to think about health. Pressing schedules and class assignments often leave students too rushed to stop and consider lifestyle issues that affect health, diet, and exercise.

Ralph Manchester, new president of the American College Health Association, knows Rochester students well as director of University Health Service (UHS), which delivers care to undergraduates, graduate students, and nonstudent patients. He also is associate professor of medicine at the University's Medical Center.

For the first time this fall, all undergraduates at Rochester will be assigned a primary care provider. Why is that such a radical idea on a college campus?

We have a combined student and employee health service, so it seemed logical to have all patients see and get to know one physician. Very few universities do this. So far, we've been successful in getting our employee patients to see their primary provider 80 percent of the time--an excellent record. The average student makes three visits a year. We think that assigning students a provider offers a more personalized approach to their care. In the next few years, we'll study if the change results in measurable improvements in patient satisfaction and in other areas.

At college, what practices and habits contribute to good health?

Especially for incoming students, college is a huge change in their lives. They should continue the good things they've developed in the last 18 years and combine them with finding a new circle of friends, maintaining--or starting--good nutritional habits, and following a regular exercise program. They may never have such good access to exercise equipment and information as they'll find here . . . and within a five-minute walk from their room.

For all students, they've got to find the right balance in their lives, especially between getting sleep and doing all the fun and important things they do.

What detracts from healthy behavior?

As a group, college students are healthy, high-functioning young adults, but there still are significant issues to be addressed. Heavy episodic drinking is one of them. Forty percent of college students drink to excess in any two-week period. The data show that being drunk makes life worse for them and for the people around them. We provide education, a "social norms" campaign that lets students know the facts about drinking, and other campus policies to keep students safe.

College is still a time when students are relatively new to the process of learning to make the best decisions for themselves and their health. We support them by showing them how to use the health care system. We want to promote good health now so it extends throughout their lives.

UHS has reorganized mental health services. What will that mean for students?

We've just finished reunifying our counseling service with all our other health services. In the recent past, mental health was operated separately. A majority of our clients will now be seen by professional staff. (Some clients will still be seen by trainees under the supervision of the professional staff, each of whom is on the University faculty.) By next summer, we hope to have all of our counselors together in one center on the River Campus. As with all of our health services, we want our counseling center to contribute to a sense of community for the students who live here.

In 1997, there were many sexual assault education groups on college campuses across the country, but very few focused on the male point of view. In the past two years, the Rochester group, Men Against Sexual Assault, which is funded by the Student Activities Office, has drawn national attention for its innovative approach.

"A lot of the information we present is unexpected and shocking," says Ian Cyr '03. "I remember when I attended the presentation for the first time, I was blown away. I had always imagined sexual assault as something that happens to strangers, not to people you know.Hearing the presentation and learning the truth, it's striking how often rape happens. Giving students who are sexually active this information may make them more cautious, especially guys, because the line between consensual sex and assault is a lot thinner than most people think."

According to MASA, women are ten times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault, and 1 out of every 5 college-age women report being forced to have sexual intercourse. It's statistics like these that motivate MASA to get the message out, and they do that by giving presentations throughout the year in fraternity houses and dorms as well as to coed groups during freshman orientation. Last year the group was voted number one social presentation by students.

"This was a really unique concept when it first started," says Kathy Sweetland, University intercessor. "But now there are solicitations from student groups across the country who have heard about MASA or visited the Web site and want to form their own group. MASA gives men the opportunity to address the issue and have a voice in a discussion that has traditionally only included women.

"It's exciting for students at the University to have the opportunity to participate in an organization that has made it their mission to create a safe environment for all members of the community."

There are 22 multicultural/awareness groups at the University including MASA. For many students, getting involved and supporting the issues they care about can be a great way to make new friends, develop leadership skills, and discover career paths. For more information, visit www.rochester.edu/living/organizations.

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