By Marcus LeGrand | The Broadside (Contact: [email protected])

Some may find it a bit unusual that a man is discussing health concerns for women on campus, but in my world it’s an everyday occurrence. Growing up with a single mother and helping care for a younger sister, I found myself knowing more than the average man would about women. I am now married to a physician who practices obstetrics and gynecology, and dinner conversations are truly interesting.  

Recently while discussing matters at dinner, she asked me a simple question: What services does the college provide for women? Not knowing the answer, it led me to investigate, what is Central Oregon Community College doing to assist women on campus?

I paid a visit to Student Life and spoke to its director, Andrew Davis, to gain insight on what services they provide. “Unfortunately we do not have Health Service on campus for women’s health,” he said.

What they do have is a list of providers located in a binder in the Student Life office for all students to utilize, which is a far cry from having actual services readily available.  

This gave me an opportunity to ask women on campus what types of services would benefit them involving their health. I spoke to Lhou Viernes, sophomore, and she mentioned, “Students need an affordable means of health care on campus, if we had it we probably would go to the doctor more .” Other possibilities Viernes mentioned were the availability of having emergency services and no one personally to speak with .

After these findings, I sat down with my wife to discuss our campuses concerns she stated a few suitable solutions, ‘If the young ladies need help they can do the following things:

• Consult local provides with a speciality in obstetrics
• Visit Planned Parenthood if they do not have reliable insurance options
• If it’s an emergency visit a local Emergency Room (ER)
• If their family lives, have them recommend a local provider
• If they are from out of town, find out if their parents can find a doctor in network

All are viable solutions for the ladies on campus and COCC is aware and have acknowledged they need  to have funds dedicated to implement a clinic geared toward dealing with women’s needs, but until then information about services are available through Student Life. ■