Welcome or welcome back to UNM!
Allow me to introduce myself. I am your friendly neighborhood medical columnist, and a doctor at the friendly neighborhood health center known as Student Health and Counseling (SHAC). I write a weekly column for the Daily Lobo.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer or a topic you’d like me to address, please email me at pspencer@unm.edu. I’ll consider anything obliquely or directly related to health. Past topics have ranged from herpes to hookahs, weight loss to woe. I have been doing this column for five years and am always looking for new material, so go ahead and ask that weird or burning question that has been bugging you. If I use your question, you will not be named in the article. Your anonymity is safe with me.
I’d also like to introduce you to SHAC, your health center. We hope you will come see us for all your health needs. There have been some changes around here, and we think it’s all for the better.
Mission. Our goal is to help you stay as healthy as possible so you can succeed in school.
Services. We offer general medical and mental health services, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, women’s health, men’s health, immunizations, travel health and health education. We also have specialty clinics in dermatology, podiatry, sports medicine and psychiatry. We are equal opportunity providers and LGBTQ safe. A few of us speak Spanish.
Hours. SHAC hours have changed by popular demand, based on feedback from students in our spring 2012 online survey. We now open at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. The last appointment of the day is at 5:30 p.m., and doors are locked at 5:40 p.m. We are located across the mall east of the Student Union Building.
Getting Care. Call (505) 277-3136. Almost all of our patients are now seen by appointment. No more waiting in long lines for the walk-in clinic or allergy clinic. Instead, you will have your very own time slot. Call and you will be given an appointment either the same day or another day soon. For the best same-day access, call early in the day. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, you can stop in and make an appointment in person. If you have an urgent problem, just come in. A nurse will evaluate you and decide if you need to be seen right away. If you have a dire emergency, please call 911.
Payment. You do not need to have insurance to be seen at SHAC. Any student is eligible. There will be a charge for your visit, starting at $15 for a basic medical visit and going up for specialty clinics. There also may be charges for services like lab tests, x-rays and medications. However, any charges you incur at SHAC can be billed to your regular bursar account, so if you are sick or injured and low on cash, get help now and pay later. We do accept most of the major insurance plans, including Presbyterian, Lovelace, United Healthcare, BCBS, Aetna and TriCare. We also offer a special student insurance plan. Check our website for details and links at shac.unm.edu
That covers the basics. If you have questions, check our website, give us a call or stop by. Have a healthy and happy semester.
Peggy Spencer is a student-health physician. She is also the co-author of the book “50 ways to leave your 40s.” Email your questions directly to her at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered anonymous, and all questioners will remain anonymous.
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