The
      Cadre
      *
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      RANDY
      MCDONALD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Students
      seeking
      health
     
     
      care
      for
      the
      first
      time
      this
      year
     
     
      at
      the
      Health
      Centre
      in
      the
     
     
      basement
      of
      Marian
      Hall
      will
     
     
      find
      that
      the
      Health
      Centre
      has
     
     
      changed
      significantly.
     
    

    
     
      Perhaps
      the
      biggest
     
     
      changes
      is
      the
      marked
      reduc-
     
     
      tion
      in
      the
      hours
      that
      the
      Health
     
     
      Centre
      is
      open—from
      35
      hours
     
     
      a
      week
      to
      20
      hours
      a
      week
      —
     
     
      and
      the
      fact
      that
      many
      people
     
     
      associated
      at
      UPEI,
      from
      chil-
     
     
      dren
      in
      the
      nearby
      daycare
     
     
      centre
      to
      students
      and
      profes-
     
     
      sors
      who
      already
      have
      general
     
     
      practitioners,
      aren’t
      being
     
     
      treated
      anymore’by
      the
      Health
     
     
      Centre
      for
      all
      but
      the
      most
     
     
      urgent
      cases.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      1998-99
      school
     
     
      year,
      the
      UPEI
      Health
      Centre
     
     
      will
      be
      run
      by
      the
      School
      of
     
     
      Nursing,
      not
      by
      Student
      De-
     
     
      velopment,
      as
      was
      the
      case
      in
     
     
      previous
      school
      years.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      24
      November
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Staff
      at
      the
      Health
      Cen-
     
     
      tre
      has
      been
      cut
      down
      to
      three
     
     
      individuals:
      A
      doctor,
      anurse,
     
     
      and
      a
      secretary.
     
    

    
     
      Thus,
      once
      funded
      to
      be
     
     
      open
      full-time
      five
      days
      a
      week
     
     
      from
      September
      to
      April
      for
     
     
      35
      hours
      a
      week,
      funding
      to
     
     
      the
      Health
      Centre
      will
      now
      be
     
     
      only
      enough
      to
      keep
      it
      open
      on
     
     
      a
      part-time
      basis
      for
      half
      that
     
     
      time.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      to
      explain
     
     
      the
      reasons
      for
      the
      cutbacks,
     
     
      VP
      Crossley
      commented
      that
     
     
      the
      Health
      Centre,
      as
      it
      was
     
     
      run
      in
      previous
      school
      years,
     
     
      was
      too
      expensive,
      costing,
      at
     
     
      65
      thousand
      dollars,
      1%
      of
      stu-
     
     
      dent’s
      tuition.
     
    

    
     
      Administration
      initially
     
     
      considered
      hiring
      a
      third
      party
     
     
      to
      run
      the
      Health
      Centre
      on-
     
     
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      As
      Crossley
      explained
     
     
      it,
      at
      the
      time
      administration
     
     
      thought
      that
      “We
      should
      be
     
     
      able
      to
      find
      someone
      who
      could
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
           
     
     
        
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      run
      a
      Health
      Centre
      on
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      without
      subsidies.”
     
     
      Administration
      asked
     
     
      Island
      doctors
      and
      pharma-
     
     
      cists
      to
      put
      together
      a
      pro-
     
     
      posal
      for
      establishing
      a
      prac-
     
     
      tice
      at
      the
      UPEI
      Health
      Cen-
     
     
      tre.
      They
      claimed
      to
      encoun-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Health
     
     
      Centre...[is]
      too
     
     
      expensive,
      costing
     
     
      at
      $65,000,
      1%
      of
     
     
      student's
      tuition
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ter
      several
      problems,
      the
      most
     
     
      serious
      of
      which
      was
      the
      rela-
     
     
      tively
      small
      use
      of
      the
      UPEI
     
     
      Health
      Centre’s
      services.
     
     
      Including
      visits
      by
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      and
      UPEI
      workers
      who
     
     
      already
      had
      doctors
      else-
     
     
      where
      on
      PEI,
      and
      the
      immu-
     
     
      nizations
      provided
      to
      students
     
     
      in
      the
      School
      of
      Nursing
      and
     
     
      the
      Atlantic
      Veterinary
      Col-
     
     
      lege,
      there
      was
      only
      five
      thou-
     
     
      sand
      visits
      made
      by
      students
     
     
      last
      year,
      of
      which
      only
      half
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      een
      ce
      YF
     
    
   
   
    
     
      More
      cut
      to
      the
      UPE!
      Health
      Centre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _UPEI
      News
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Health
      Centre
      in
      Jeopardy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      more
      cuts
      to
      be
      made
      to
      the
      Health
      Centre's
      budget
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      billable.
     
    

    
     
      This
      number
      was
      only
     
     
      half
      of
      the
      minimum
      of
      ten
     
     
      thousand
      visits
      annually
      esti-
     
     
      mated
      to
      be
      required
      for
      a
     
     
      financially
      viable
      medical
      prac-
     
     
      tice
      for
      a
      single
      physician
      at
     
     
      the
      UPEI
      Health
      Centre.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      option
      consid-
     
     
      ered
      by
      adminstration
      was
      the
     
     
      establishment
      ofa
      UPEI-based
     
     
      clinic
      that
      would
      be
      available
     
     
      to
      the
      wider
      Charlottetown
     
     
      community,
      but
      that
      would
      re-
     
     
      serve
      services
      for
      UPEI
      stu-
     
     
      dents.
      Again,
      itwas
      concluded
     
     
      that
      there
      would
      not
      be
      enough
     
     
      business
      to
      keep
      such
      a
      clinic
     
     
      open
      for
      even
      five
      daysa
      week.
     
    

    
     
      The
      abolition
      of
      the
     
     
      Health
      Centre
      was
      also
      seri-
     
     
      ously
      considered.
      “It’s
      not
      as
     
     
      ifwe’re
      living
      in
      a
      Third
      World
     
     
      country
      where
      no
      health
      care
     
     
      is
      available.”
     
    

    
     
      Eventually,
      it
      was
      de-
     
     
      cided
      to
      cut
      back
      funding
      to
     
     
      the
      Health
      Centre,
      and
      to
      make
     
     
      ita“
      100%
      student
      service”
      by
     
     
      limiting
      its
      services
      to
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
      >
      w
      «
     
     
      -
      oe
      ®
      €
     
     
      ot
      eg
      ote
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =
      e
      *
      -—
      7
      a
      %,
      ing
     
     
      iter
      oe
      ee
     
     
      Re
      ee
      Seen)
      ot
     
     
      E_9
      NOPE
      owe
      2
     
     
      ?
      e
      Sif
     
    
   
   
    
     
      er
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hs
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      students.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      decreed
      that
     
     
      lower
      levels
      of
      service
      could
     
     
      be
      justified,
      on
      the
      grounds
     
     
      that
      the
      Health
      Centre
      han-
     
     
      died
      only
      twoemergencies
      last
     
     
      year,
      it
      didn’t
      need
      to
      be
      open
     
     
      after-hours,
      and
      nearly
      all
      of
     
     
      the
      students
      at
      UPEI
      were
     
     
      relatively
      young.
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      result,
      the
      subsi-
     
     
      dies
      were
      cut
      back
      from
      65,000
     
     
      dollars
      to
      40,
      000
      dollars,
      and
     
     
      three
      doctors
      were
      recruited
     
     
      for
      a
      half-day
      each.
      For
      the
     
     
      rest
      of
      the
      time,
      a
      nurse
      would
     
     
      be
      available
      to
      assist
      students
     
     
      with
      minor
      health
      problems.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      about
     
     
      whether
      the
      reduction
      in
      fund-
     
     
      ing
      and
      services
      would
      dis-
     
     
      courage
      students
      from
      going
     
     
      to
      the
      Health
      centre,
      Crossley
     
     
      suggested
      that
      keeping
      non-
     
     
      students
      from
      using
      the
      Health
     
     
      Centre
      would
      actually
      increase
     
     
      the
      availability
      of
      the
      Health
     
     
      Centre
      to
      UPEI
      students.
     
    

    
     
      Regardless,
      “We're
      go-
     
     
      ing
      to
      monitor
      the
      situation.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -photo
      by
      Richard
      Haines