Written by: Nicole Hill
I found myself ill and on campus within the first month of my experience as a 42-year-old college student. Student Health Services on the University of North Florida Campus more than met my need. Now I grant you, my recent sinus infection may have been brought on by my social travels with my husband. Only the weekend before we were in Miami having dinner on South Beach by night and walking the streets of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach during the day. For this I take full responsibility. One of my fellow students noticed my struggle during Friday morning classes. She informed me that there was a way to end the pain I was obviously going through. I was delighted to find that I could go to student health services right on campus and quickly to boot!
My surprise and delight was multiplied when I found that I could see a doctor on campus within 15 minutes of making a call to the student health office at (904)620-2900. According to the student health services website: http://www.unf.edu/shs/Services.aspx the following services are fully funded: diagnosis of treatment and injury, emergencies on campus, referrals for specialist care, and consultations for specific care. When I realized on Friday that I needed a doctor to cure what was ailing me, I was so relieved that I did not have to drive back to St. Augustine to see one in my condition.
Student Health Services is located on the second floor of the J. Brooks Brown Addition, Building 39A. The easiest way to access the office is by taking the outside stairs to the second floor. These stairs face the outside sidewalk in front of the building. As you ascend the stairs you will see the sign for the office clearly marked above the door-way. Once inside you have the impression of a full service medical facility. It will take only a moment to complete a few brief pages of paperwork. Once completed you wait in a very well lit waiting room complete with magazines and a flat screen television.
The physician I saw was from Mayo Clinic. He was very personable, very kind, and empathetic to my plight. I met with the doctor in the 10-room facility for 20 minutes. He checked my vitals and asked me a number of questions about how I was feeling. He inquired about my recent travels. He asked me if I had a fever the night before. The atmosphere in the office was very professional and comforting. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection. The doctor wrote me a prescription for Amoxicillin and gave me instructions to rest, eat well, and to take my medicine three times a day for ten days. Imagine my surprise when I checked out that my visit was free.
As I left campus to go to Publix to fill my prescription it dawned on me that not only was my appointment free but that I would be able to fill the prescription at Publix for free as well! Publix is centrally located in Town Center near the University of North Florida campus. It literally takes two minutes to get there. Their pharmacy fills scripts for Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Penicillin and other derivatives of these drugs for free. I thought to myself, “Now if I can only get illness free.”
Swoop Scoop 
Isn’t the health services great. I am a 53 year old student and have used their services also. I had allergies that were acting up and all I would do all day was cough in class. They helped me get it under control so I didn’t disrupt the class any longer with all that hacking.