Following spring break, the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) is testing extending their operating hours with the HCC open every Wednesday until 7 p.m., according to HCC Executive Director Alan Kent.
Kent said the measure has been considered for some time.

“We’ve been looking into this for a long time,” he said. “We’ve had some focus groups and surveys with students, and it seems like there’s at least a portion of students who could benefit from having access to evening hours. The goal is to see who utilizes it, and for those who do, we’ll have a very quick and simple survey as to why they used it.”

Kent further commented that the move was influenced by “mixed reactions” from other university’s students to their health centers about having evening hours.

Because the concept is only a trial, no additional fees will be needed from students, as some HCC staff have volunteered to work late Wednesday nights. However, according to Kent, if the measure were to be long-term and include more days a week, the HCC would look into hiring part-time employees to help with the shift.

The service is also being tested as a way to accommodate undergraduate and graduate students with prior engagements during the day who are unable to make appointments between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., which are the HCC’s current Wednesday hours.

“There are students who are undergrads who are on internships or work during the day, and it might be just as convenient for them to come in after 5 o’clock,” said Kent. “A lot of graduate students have placements, jobs or internships, and it’s particularly hard for them to come in, but we really don’t know, and that’s something we’re testing.”

In conjunction with possibly extending hours, the HCC has received interest from students and other sources regarding expanding the services provided during the day. According to a survey of 700 students that the HCC conducted before opting to extend Wednesday hours, other requests included alternative medicine, X-rays and urgent care services.

“I know there was quite a bit of interest expressed in dental services,” said Kent. “Some people mentioned optometry. Some bigger schools with 30,000 to 40,000 students have all of those services, but there’s enough people to support it. [DU] is kind of a mid-sized campus so there’s only so much we can afford to do because the demand is not there.”

The HCC has been in talks with Houston-based Onsite Dental Solutions (ODS) about the possibility of opening an on-campus dental clinic. Kent stated that ODS will meet with the HCC and DU Human Resources next quarter to determine if a demand is strong enough to support a dental facility.

The HCC encourages students to provide feedback on the matter. Feedback can be submitted to the HCC via their website, or through surveys given during late Wednesday appointments.