Additional facility created in the South Village will provide alternative health care options outside of Lauderdale. They will offer individualized primary and medical health care, reproductive health services and a Campus Community Resource Nurse (Jenna Smolinski/ staff photographer).
An additional facility for health services, The South Village Health Center, is now open on the south side of campus in Onondaga Hall.
The new facility was created with the primary purpose of providing more easily accessible health services for students, primarily freshmen, according to the Department of Student Health and Counseling.
“South Village has been in the planning stages for a while due to the south side of campus wanting more accessibility to health services due to proximity,” Principal Student Health Administrator Megan Syfrett said. “We wanted to be able to provide better access to students that are on that side of campus so that more students would utilize health services. We are located in Onondaga South.”
The South Village Health Center will hold an open house on Sept. 18 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. In addition to the counseling services that Onondaga South already offers, after the open house, The South Village Health Center will offer individualized primary and medical health care, reproductive health services and a Campus Community Resource Nurse (CCRN).
“The open house is a time for anyone and everyone to see what the space looks like and be familiar with where we are located,” Syfrett said. “We just wanted to be able to show it off and make sure as many people as possible are aware that it is there and able to be utilized.”
According to an article published by The Lamron in Sept. 2018, former Vice President for Student and Campus Life Robert Bonfiglio said the project is funded through the residence hall budget.
“All students who live on campus pay a room rate and that money is held in a differ budget, otherwise known as the dormitory income fund reimbursable. Differ money was allocated for the creation of the space,” according to The Lamron.
“The same services by health care professionals that are available at Lauderdale are available at South Village …[those being] primary care services, reproductive health and our CCRN, Laura Evans, is housed there. It will have everything that Lauderdale has
except with shorter hours,” Syfrett said.
According to the Geneseo website, the South Village Health Center hours for primary care will be from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“After hours and on weekends, if you call our number (585) 245-5736, you will be sent to a nurse line that can talk to you about your symptoms,” Syfrett said. “This way we can provide recommendations on whether or not you are able to wait until we open to schedule an appointment or if you should go to urgent care.”
The reproductive health service hours will be on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Counseling services will continue to be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“All students, regardless of where you reside, are able to access South Village,” said Syfrett. “When you call our main number, you will be asked where you are residing and which location you would prefer. You can also schedule health visits online.”
English major freshman Ashley Kupiec said that she is pleased with the College’s decision to create another health facility.
“I think it’s extremely helpful to have a health center on south campus because of the large amount of people that live there,” Kupiec said. “I know that if I were sick or in need of medical attention, it would be far more convenient to walk all the way across campus while not feeling my best. I think it’s also a good idea to have a health center where there is a large percentage of first-year students because from what I’ve heard, these are the people that tend to get sick the most frequently because they’re still getting used to college life.”