Students voiced their concerns about the Health Center, including misdiagnosis, privacy issues and confusion about insurance coverage at last Monday night's forum in the Shapiro Campus Center.Eleven people attended the informal forum, during which members of the Health Center Advisory Committee, which planned the event, moderated the discussion and encouraged the participants to share both negative and positive experiences they have had at the Health Center. Participants were also urged to offer suggestions for health services that are not currently offered on campus.

The chairwoman of the committee, Jessica Blumberg '09, said that many students don't know much about their insurance plans and what they cover, and that perhaps the health center should actively provide more information.

Noah Kaplan '09 opened the discussion: "I didn't get an insurance card on time. . I'm still having problems with that."

More students followed by relating other negative experiences. The participants agreed that misdiagnosis and lack of attention are ongoing problems at the health center.

Laura Cohen '09 said she was proscribed a certain type of antibiotics despite a big sticker on her file noting that she is allergic to that family of antibiotics. . "Luckily, I hadn't taken it yet," she said.

"I've been misdiagnosed twice," Hillary Mishan '09 said. "First I was told I had the flu when I actually had bronchitis, and then I got told I had the flu but actually turned out to have mono[nucleosis]."

Not everyone, however, was there to criticize. Rebecca Wilkof '09 said that upon mentioning in passing that she had never had chicken pox, a nurse gave her a shot on the spot.

But most students present at the forum seemed to have had opposite experiences from Wilkof. "It would be nice to see people smiling when you go to the doctor, welcoming you, instead of making you feel like you are a burden to them." Justin Zullo '09 said.

The issue of privacy was another concern that students discussed during the forum. "You're judged by the nurses; it's embarrassing," Sridatta Mukherjee '09 said. "A friend of mine asked for a pregnancy test, and they gave her a look." Comments concerning the lack of privacy at the reception, as well as a reluctance to trust the nurses with confidential information, echoed around the circle.

Student Union President Shreeya Sinha '09 added that "they tend to assume that you are sexually active." Cohen added that the nurses at the health center automatically assume all kinds of risky behaviors, including inferring that an injury occurred because the student was drunk, or that any complaint might be a sexually transmitted disease.

Students also said that it is difficult to schedule an appointment with the doctors at the center. "You tend to know your body. If you think you have strep, you need to see a doctor. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops," Kimberlee Bachman '08 said.

The forum was not just about voicing complaints; the participants also suggested improvements that were brought up throughout the forum. "I think they could provide more preventative measures," Cohen said.

Some ideas for this included sending out e-mails informing students of viruses going around, or even placing preventative care packages with information in student mailboxes. But since most flyers travel from the mailbox to the bin within seconds, Blumberg asked if perhaps part of the problem consists of student apathy.