CENTERING STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Illustration by Marina Lee

A tour guide leading prospective students through Syracuse University’s campus will undoubtedly stop at the Barnes Center at the Arch. This spot on the tour features some variation of this spiel: The wellness center offers great resources, same-day counseling appointments and group therapy. You can even get checked out in the medical center, then come right downstairs and pick up your prescription—or so goes the script.

Opposite the basketball courts, weight rooms and S-shaped hot tub, the health and wellness section of Barnes includes a pharmacy, therapy services and other health care. The center achieved high standards for student-focused care this year, earning recognition by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and the Princeton Review’s Mental Health Services Honor Roll.

But not all trips to the wellness center are created equal. While some students reap the benefits of an award-winning campus care provider, others are left disappointed and under-served.

Greta Freed, an SU senior, visited Barnes several times during her first year on campus. Around finals season that year, she went in with what she assumed was a sinus infection. It hadn’t 24 SMUT JERK 23-40 been seven days yet, so the wellness team couldn’t confirm her diagnosis—but they still offered her an antibiotic for “peace of mind,” although they didn’t think she needed it.

Taking unnecessary antibiotics can contribute to antibiotic resistance, a public health issue where bacteria build defenses against drugs.

“The doctors are nice there, I just, I’ve looked at them in a different way ever since,” Freed said. “[I’d choose] anywhere but the Barnes Center. I choose urgent care, the ER, the hospital, Upstate Golisano. Like anywhere.”

Freed also works as a tour guide and gives the pre-written speech about the Barnes Center despite feeling a disconnect with the words.

“I kind of feel like I’m lying while I say it, cause I’m like, ‘They’re awful,’” Freed said. “I’m just saying what’s on the script. Other people have had good experiences, it just wasn’t me. So I’m only slightly lying, maybe.”

Freed has valid health care in New York, so she has the choice of external care providers. So, when she transitioned to being a part-time student for the spring semester and was no longer automatically charged the Student Health and Wellness Fee, her copay for going somewhere off campus was significantly less expensive than the $445 fee for the Barnes Center.

For some students, this is not an option. SU senior Mikayla Melo relied on the Barnes Center for health care for three years, since care providers in- state didn’t accept her insurance from California. She used the center for general issues like flu medication and birth control, and even when she had appendicitis at the end of her sophomore year. Barnes recognized the appendix issue, communicated with her school regarding final exams and handled her prescription for antibiotics. She was sent to Upstate and ultimately flew home for surgery, but she said Barnes was “really great” about the experience as a whole.

Melo went part-time for the spring, and said her and her family decided paying the fee wasn’t worth one semester of coverage. If an issue arises, they’ll figure it out as they go.

“At least before when I didn’t have normal health care coverage, I had that backup. Now I really have nothing. So, that’s a little concerning to think about,” Melo said. “But it’s only a few months, so, what’s the worst that can happen?”

From diagnosing her appendicitis to delivering medication to her apartment, the physical wellness portion of Barnes was good to Melo.

“[I’m] Going to miss them,” she said.

The Barnes Center offers specific women’s health services as well. Rachel Feuchtwanger, a freshman at SU, made an appointment to discuss options for birth control at Barnes before deciding on an IUD. Everything was highly professional, the IUD was explained thoroughly and the center accommodated a last-minute date change to the actual procedure—she just wasn’t allowed to bring anyone with her for moral support.

“[The doctor] was very sweet during that whole process, she made it as comfortable as I could be,” Feuchtwanger said.

Feuchtwanger liked her experience, from the patient portal check-in process to the information provided about aftercare. She felt that the women’s health professionals genuinely cared about her wellbeing. She also noted the doctors at Barnes understood that treating college students meant explaining which medications shouldn’t be taken with alcohol or drugs (instead of simply suggesting students abstain).

“For women’s health specifically, I think I would keep going there until I graduate,” Feuchtwanger said. “They’re very good with routine check-ups. And I feel like no one knows about that. I was telling my friends that I got my IUD at Barnes and they were like, ‘Wait, they do that?’”

Separate from physical wellness, Barnes is infamous on campus for its mental health services. When Melo had a consultation to get set up for long-term care, she was told the center was booked for months. This made her decide against going at all. She said these services can help students who don’t have insurance and don’t want to involve their parents—but when the center is understaffed or overbooked, it’s rendered unhelpful.

Recent SU graduate Abby Haffner looked into starting therapy at Barnes her sophomore year. After browsing a list of counselors with their biographies and specializations, she selected the best-seeming fit and was placed on a waiting list. She waited for at least three months.

“It was definitely frustrating, because you’re obviously going through all these different changes and you’re feeling all these things and you don’t know what to do with them,” Haffner said. “And essentially [they] are telling you to put your feelings on hold, and they’ll get back to you when they have an opening.”

Long waitlists reflect a community-wide and potentially nationwide issue of access to therapy services, Claire Currado, licensed therapist at CNY Therapy Solutions, said.

“It’s very very challenging to find mental health services, especially quality mental health services. But I certainly think it’s a systemic issue,” Currado said.

said. According to Ashley Williams, a licensed therapist and founder of Cardinal Hope Mental Health Counseling, Syracuse’s demand for therapy outweighs the supply of qualified providers. This is complicated by insurance regulations, which can make it even more challenging to access care.

Once Haffner was eventually connected with a therapist, she had an overwhelmingly positive experience at Barnes. Her counselor was able to help her with struggles across her life, including switching her major and post-grad planning.

When her therapist left SU for another job, Haffner ended therapy, which she said was ultimately for the best. But before then, her counselor would end sessions by asking if she felt ready to “graduate therapy,” saying one day her issues would be solved and she’d have less to talk about on the couch.

While short-term treatment is best in some circumstances, that’s not the case for everyone.

“Things don’t have to be doom and gloom for you to be in therapy,” Williams said. “Life is still life- ing as you’re in therapy, and things change, so you might want to reassess things.”

Psychology Today, Liberty Resources and Helio Health provide mental health resources for those in need. Many community practices offer free consultations to find a good fit. Just off campus, Peck Hall houses the Couple and Family Therapy Center.

These all exist as alternatives to on-campus care at the Barnes Center.

“Unstable is what I wanna call [care at Barnes]. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not right,” Freed said.