In the midst of cold and flu season, it is important to know on and off campus health options when seeking any medical care. 

On campus, the Ashland University provides students access to the Student Health Center, located in the Student Center. 

The Student Health Center provide services, such as immunizations, care for acute illnesses and routine physical exams. A full list of services and common ailments that may be treated there can be found online on AU’s Student Health Center webpage. 

One of the greatest benefits of the Health Center is its centralized location within a short walking distance for nearly all students, but there are other benefits as well.

“The benefit is that it’s on campus, so it offers convenience to students,” Tina Oswalt, Administrative Assistant in the Health Center.said. “Undergraduate students pay a Health Center fee, so it’s less expensive for them to come here because the fee is part of their tuition fees, and so there’s no cost for them to come here. Pretty much we can see them same day, if not next day, so it’s quick.”

A common complaint among students is the restricted hours that the Health Center is open.

The clinic is closed on the weekends, but is open from Monday through Friday. Walk in hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Appointments are then taken from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In comparison, the local CVS MinuteClinic is open seven days a week. Monday through Friday, the clinic is open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. On Saturdays, it is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays it is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The MinuteClinic is located at 418 East Main St. in Ashland, inside of CVS. Appointments can be scheduled at the patient walks in, but it is also possible to schedule appointments on the clinic’s website to avoid waiting for attention.

Another advantage of the CVS MinuteClinic is the pharmacy within the building that will be able to provide any medications that may be required as an outcome of the appointment.

The MinuteClinic is able to provide similar care options as the university health center. 

“Anything that you can go to the minute clinic for, you could come here for,” said Oswalt regarding the Student Health Center. “We’re pretty much a walk-in clinic. The difference would be the emergency room. We work very similar to how a physician’s office would work.” 

The closest hospital and provider of emergency care to campus is University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center, which can be found at 1025 Center St. in Ashland.

According to the Samaritan Hospital website, the unit has state-of-the-art facilities, as well as advanced technology, which enables medical workers to give the best care possible to their patients.

For any immediate medical attention needs, Samaritan Hospital is open 24/7.

When ill or in pain, it’s valuable to consider which option would provide the best care for the malady. Some ailments need more immediate attention than others and thus may require a visit to the hospital if the local clinics are not equipped to care for them.

Patty Owens, a registered nurse at the Student Health Center, discussed what issues would be better treated at Samaritan Hospital.

“Chest pain would be one thing,” said Owens. “Any breathing problems or acute breathing problems. We don’t have oxygen here, or artificial airways or anything like that. And anything that’s considered a medical emergency.”

Overall, depending on the individual circumstances, one medical center may fit the patient’s needs better than another. 

“I’d say cost, convenience and quickness of appointments are the best qualities we can offer,” said Owens.