The 2020-2021 academic year will be a time of change. The coronavirus will be present in our community, so we must all take personal responsibility for our own health and that of our friends, family, professors and neighbors. It will also be important that we are resilient. Change will happen and we will need to find healthy ways to cope with stress and anxiety.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we all view campus public health. It has changed how we interact with each other by requiring us to space ourselves 6-feet apart; wear face coverings in classrooms and buildings; and wash our hands regularly with soap and water. Also, it has changed how we meet in classrooms and labs – whether in-person, virtual or both.
All these changes are our ‘new normal’ at USC.
Student Health Services is ready to help you through these changing times by being steadfast in our commitment to provide comprehensive medical and mental health services right here on campus. Throughout the summer, we have worked with university partners, regional hospital groups, our local health department and the CDC to prepare our campus for the coming academic year. Student Health Services will play a pivotal role in the campus response to COVID-19 by providing ongoing testing, treatment and monitoring and contact tracing.
In addition, we will continue to provide you patient-centered medical and mental health care and wellness programming. This academic year, students will have the ability to be seen either in-person at our facilities or via tele appointments depending on what is recommended by their provider or to minimize unnecessary risk to patients and staff.
The health center will look a little different this fall, but your health, well-being and academic success will be our top priorities.
Yours in health,
Deborah Beck, MPA, Ed.D., FACHA
Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellness and Executive Director of Student Health Services