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Health Services - the Associated Students proposal

After making presentations to students, faculty and staff groups at Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College during Fall Semester, 2005, the Associated Students of each of the three campuses made a presentation to the District Governing Board Jan. 25, 2006, to propose that all students in the district would be charged a health services fee, as permitted by the Education Code (Section 76355), in order to fund the provision of health services to district students.

The reasons for this proposal include:

  • The increasing percentage of county residents who have no health insurance (9.3%) or who are under-insured (see report from Cal. Insurance Commissioner - "Priced Out: Health Care in California").
  • The proportion of Latino and African-American county residents who are uninsured exceeds the county average significantly (30.7% and 15%, respectively). 11.6% of Asian county residents have no health insurance (Source: Hospital Council).
  • Many low-income working families without job-based health insurance earn too much to be eligible for government subsidized insurance programs like Medi-Cal or Healthy Families (Source: Hospital Council).
  • DVC is one of 10 community colleges of the 109 in the state of California which does not provide health services for students. (Contra Costa College and Los Medanos College, in the same district, also do not provide these services).
  • If a student is injured or sick, there is nowhere they can go for treatment or assistance other than to Police Services.
  • When surveyed in 2000, 57% of the students indicated they would use campus health services & 76% said they would be willing to pay $10 to have access to these services.
  • When surveyed in 2004, 78% were in favor of paying a fee for health services, though 84% said they had access to some form of health insurance coverage. (Many students appreciate the convenience and privacy a campus health service would provide.)
  • If each student enrolled in the district paid a $15 fee each fall and spring semesters and a $12 fee each summer they were enrolled, we could raise well over $1 million a year to bring health services to our campuses.
  • Possible services could include: First aid; Nursing assessment and management; Physical exams; STD/HIV testing & counseling; Health counseling & education; Smoking cessation; Nutrition & diet counseling; Allergy testing & immunizations; Substance abuse referrals; Women's health & family planning
    Providing access to these services will help students finish their classes and programs. (Many students experience illnesses during the course of a semester, which, if untreated, can result in excessive absences, missed assignments & exams.)

At the January (2006) meeting, the District Governing Board was open to the proposal, but requested more details before granting approval. The Chancellor formed a district-wide Ad Hoc Health Services Committee (with representatives from students, faculty, staff and administration) to explore the issues in greater depth and to provide the Governing Board with the level of detail they are requesting. The committee held its first meeting on Feb. 24, 2006, reviewing the steps taken to date and initiating discussion about several key decision points (services to be provided, the amount of the fee, possible exemptions and a timeline). Additional meetings were held March 9 and 23, April 6 & 27. The recommendations from the committee included:

  • That the district should approve charging a health service fee to students beginning Spring semester, 2007;
  • That the District should begin an Request for Proposals (RFP) process to outsource health services so that they would be provided by an off campus partner;
  • That comparable health services should be provided at each campus to take care of all the students in the district in an equitable manner;
  • That services provided at other campuses in the region would be provided at our campuses;
  • That each of the three campuses would have an RN or Nurse Practitioner, a Mental Health Counselor and one support staff member;
  • That the two Centers (Brentwood and San Ramon Valley) would share a half time nurse and half time mental health counselor;
  • That the hours of service at the three campuses would be 9AM to 7PM Mondays through Thursdays, and 9AM to 1PM on Fridays, during Fall or Spring semesters when school is in session. Services will be open one Saturday morning a month during Fall and Spring semesters. (Summer hours and hours at the two centers will be determined later.)

After meeting with the Chancellor's Cabinet on May 9 about the recommendations from the committee, additional concerns emerged about the need to exempt a limited number of students (those who enroll in non-credit programs or contract education classes or who are concurrently enrolled high school students). Budgets were re-calculated and the modified proposal was presented to the district governing board as a discussion item at its May meeting. The board was again supportive. The proposal was scheduled to come back to the district governing board as an action item for the July (2006) meeting in order to gain formal approval and set the RFP and student health fee process in motion.

From the July 26, 2006 District Governing Board agenda packet:

From the publication, "Board Report", from the July 26, 2006 District Governing Board meeting:

"The Governing Board approved the student health service fee (Board Report No. 7-D) that will be implemented in the Fall 2007 semester. With the implementation of the fee, health services will be offered for all students enrolled at all District colleges and centers."

Following these discussions, the district sent out a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the Fall, 2006. Proposals were submitted and an evaluation committee (composed of students, faculty, staff and district office representatives) met during the fall, and made a recommendation to the district chancellor and the board. During the Spring, 2007, the Chancellor's cabinet decided to study the matter in more detail, particularly the planning and funding for facilities renovations, as well as the short-term and long-term financial viability of the proposal.

During the Summer, 2007, both LMC and CCC withdrew from the proposal. In October, 2007, the current ASDVC president and the Dean of Student Life met with the new DVC president to ask for her support. The President and members of her cabinet expressed several areas of concern and made a decision to not move forward with the proposal at this time.

For more information, contact Bill Oye, Dean of Student Life (DVC) at woye@dvc.edu or by phone at (925) 685-1230 ext. 2445.

Links & web resources:

 

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