UHS Will Maintain 24-Hour Urgent Care, Following Outcry

University Health Services will maintain 24-hour overnight walk-in urgent care, following outcry from students upset about the proposed closure of Stillman Infirmary, UHS Director Paul J. Barreira said Monday at a town hall meeting.

While Stillman is still slated to close in 2014, eliminating overnight respite beds, Barreira said that UHS will continue to offer in-person medical services such as triage, urgent care treatment, and on-site alcohol assessments at night.

Barreira said this compromise provides students a physical space to seek medical help at night while still freeing up valuable clinical space and resources for the planned expansion of same-day appointments and mental health services. He said that UHS is constrained to its current space because clinical space must meet government regulation.

Dr. Paul Barreira, director of Harvard University Health Services, provides a brief overview of HUHS's intention to alter overnight services at last night's town hall, organized by the UC and Harvard HealthPals. By Bridget R Irvine

He also said he had toured every campus building but found that none met requirements for clinical space. Barreira estimated a new building for UHS would cost about $80 million.

Barreira delivered the news, which had been expected since Monday, during a town hall meeting in which he fielded questions about how upcoming changes to health services would affect students. He noted that the latest news would be detailed to the community in an email following the meeting.

At the town hall, Barreira and other members of UHS, many of whom were part of the task force that recommended Stillman’s closure, said that the decision was also made for budgetary purposes, in order to redistribute resources to other services.

“If I could expand space and keep Stillman, wonderful. If I could increase our money, I would…. I had no options to avoid that kind of difficult equation,” Barreira said, explaining that UHS’s budget is exclusively comprised of the student health fee and premiums paid by those on its insurance plan.

“We didn’t start out by saying how can we save money, but how can we expand services?” UHS Chief of Medicine Soheyla Gharib said.

Several of the 40 students in attendance questioned the changes and requested more details about its potential impact on student health.

Some dwelled on the need for respite beds on campus, and shared their personal experiences at Stillman. Rachael C. Stein ’17, a member of the women’s varsity rugby team, said the on-campus respite beds had played a vital role in her recovery from surgery for injuries, and that many of her teammates have had similar experiences.

According to the UHS representatives present, the University is considering options for students in similar situations. They said, though, that maintaining fewer respite beds was not an option, as it would require the same amount of resources as providing the ten beds currently in Stillman.

In response to concerns regarding the cost of ambulance rides to Mt. Auburn Hospital, Gharib said UHS is exploring possibilities, such as providing transportation through Harvard University Police Department for students who would not require the presence of medical staff.

However, from conversations with the Cambridge Fire Department, Gharib said Harvard is unlikely to be able to offer an internal ambulance service or rely on Crimson EMS, the student-run first-responder campus organization.

Medical Director of Stillman Infirmary Donald Perlo noted that UHS was working closely with Mt. Auburn to streamline the process for students transferred to the hospital, including those who might require respite beds there.

Some students also criticized the manner in which the decision was made. Faith A. Jackson ’16, candidate for Undergraduate Council vice president, asked whether UHS would change its decision-making process to incorporate student input earlier.

Barreira said he would not.

“I have to talk to the professionals first. Then we can go forward…. And then, that’s when it becomes a community conversation, a matter of public debate,” he said. He also noted that he could not imagine asking students to participate in the design of the program, as they lacked the expertise and are unauthorized to view confidential medical information.

The Town Hall was organized by the Undergraduate Council and HealthPALs, a campus liaison group between students and UHS. A second town hall on the health care changes is planned for Wednesday.

—Staff writer Quynh-Nhu Le can be reached at quynhnhu.le@thecrimson.com.