Cowell Center Now Charging for Services

Patients now required to pay for certain health care expenses

Nicolas SonnenburgTHE SANTA CLARASeptember 25, 2014 

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]mid pressures from an increasing student body and a higher demand for both medical and psychological services, Cowell Health Center, Santa Clara’s campus health clinic, is implementing a new system of fees.

After years of charging students only for the cost of medication and medical supplies, these new fees range from a $10 charge to see a nurse to a $100 cost to see the resident psychiatrist.

An email sent to the entire student body earlier this month stated that the changes were implemented to help Cowell provide improved services for the university.

“Over the past years, we’ve seen both an increase in the number of students coming to the Cowell Center and an increase in the severity of these cases,” said Dr. Jillandra Rovaris, director of the Cowell Center. 

To meet these needs, Cowell has been approved to hire a new psychologist and case manager. Along with additional staff Cowell hopes to soon hire, they will help to decrease the amount of time students will have to wait between making an appointment and actually seeing a medical or psychological professional.

Some Santa Clara students, like graduate student Kristin Tappan, have some anxieties about these changes. 

“While (these) charges are far less than what students would be paying if they went somewhere else to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, I don’t think that that is necessarily relevant,” Tappan said. “There are students who can barely afford to purchase their books for school.”

Tappan is also concerned that these medical charges could result in a breach of student privacy. 

“A student could be going into Cowell to report a rape or talk about stress from familial issues,” Tappan said. “Even though charges to eCampus will only say ‘Cowell Center,’ students are going to have to answer to a guardian paying for their education what these charges are for. It puts a student who wanted to keep that information private in a really uncomfortable position.”

Rovaris stressed, however, that student privacy is a priority for the Cowell Center. 

“We will never disclose private medical information to guardians,” she said. “All that parents will see are the words ‘Cowell Center’ on an eCampus bill if the student chooses not to pay at the time of visit.”

“No student will ever be turned away for financial reasons,” Rovaris said. Those who qualify for Federal Pell Grants can apply for a Cowell Center Visit Fee waiver, she added.

Contact Nicolas Sonnenburg at nsonnenberg@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.