With the Fall 2022 semester in full swing, students are beginning to feel the effects of their busy schedules. Close contact with other students in classes and residence halls can increase the spread of the common cold and other illnesses, potentially causing students to seek the DePauw Health and Wellness Center for help. However, making an appointment with the Wellness Center can be intimidating, and many first-year students may be unaware of the resources that the clinic provides.
DePauw Health and Wellness first partnered with Hendricks Regional Health, Putnam County Hospital, and LHD Benefits in 2015, with the goal of “creating a wellness-centered college campus unlike any other in the region,” according to DePauw Health’s website. Since then, the wellness center has served as the go-to office for students’ health concerns, offering resources at little to no cost for students. Kelley Wood, a nurse practitioner at the clinic, listed a few of the services provided to students, including “visits related to injury or illness, annual physical exams, wellness coaching, allergy injections, counseling and referral for medical gender transition therapies, and immunizations.” Students can also turn to the wellness center if they have tested positive for or suspect they have COVID-19.
School of Music students and student athletes are offered specific resources from the Wellness Center. According to Wood, music students can take advantage of “hearing evaluations” and treatments for “musculoskeletal and repetitive use injuries.” Similarly, student athletes can turn to the clinic for treatment of “musculoskeletal injuries.”
DePauw Health and Wellness makes an effort to help students’ protect their sexual health. Wood explained that the clinic offers “gynecological exams, sexual health consultations, STI/STD testing. . . and referral for HIV PrEP” at no extra cost to students. She also noted that services such as “contraceptive counseling and prescribing” and “specialist referral” are available for a fee, which is charged to a client’s student account or insurance.
Sophomore Jade Tatom described her experience with the DePauw Wellness Center as positive., “The personnel are always so sweet and really willing to listen to you,” she said. However, she added, “it can be really hard to get in [to an appointment] because of limited staffing.”
Sophomore Maya La Croix has also had a positive experience at the clinic. When asked if they would recommend DePauw Health and Wellness to first-years, La Croix said, “Definitely. Go there to get your flu shot or STD testing. If you are experiencing non-urgent pain, go there first!”
The DePauw Health and Wellness Center is accessible through the northeast entrance of the Lilly Center building. In order to make an appointment, students can call (765) 658-4555 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Wednesday. For more information, go to the DePauw Health and Wellness Center website (https://depauwhealth.org/).