Student Health Services changes name to Watkins Health Services


LAWRENCE — For more than a century, Student Health Services has provided high-quality, affordable health care to University of Kansas students. 

Now, the department will continue that mission, but with a new name. Starting this week, Student Health Services will be known as Watkins Health Services, a reference to the unit’s location in the Watkins Memorial Health Center.

The name change is based on the recommendations of students in two William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications classes, whose research showed that having the word “student” in the name led many students to misperceive that the health care providers were students themselves.

“Research showed us the word ‘student’ in ‘Student Health Services’ caused some students to incorrectly think our health care providers are students, not real doctors,” said Dr. Douglas Dechairo, director of Watkins Health Services. “Changing our name will help students understand that our medical team comprises board-certified physicians with many years of experience.”

Another reason the name change made sense is that the unit provides services to non-students, too, he said. Those eligible for services include KU faculty and staff, as well as spouses and domestic partners of students.

Once deciding a name change was needed, “Watkins Health Services” was the clear choice, Dechairo said.

“Students are familiar with our building – the Watkins Memorial Health Center – and many already say in conversation that they’re ‘going to Watkins’ for their health care needs,” he said. “So this name change makes sense and is an accurate reflection of what many students having been calling us all along.”

The name change also acknowledges famed KU benefactor Elizabeth Watkins, who in 1932 funded construction of Watkins Memorial Hospital, now Twente Hall, which served students’ health care needs for the next 42 years until Watkins Memorial Health Center opened in 1974. Watkins also funded construction of a new Lawrence Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1929.

Watkins Health Services supports students by delivering affordable health care and innovative programs that promote the health of students and the university community. As a student-focused, student-friendly center, the organization’s mission is to advance the quality of life for students, improving academic performance and increasing retention. Watkins staff continue to seek ways to expand their reach. For example, Watkins Health Center is currently offering flu vaccine clinics across campus for students, faculty, staff and retirees, and it recently added massage therapy services. The department is also exploring the possibility of adding dental services.

Journalism student research

The name change was based on the recommendations of students in journalism professor Bob Basow’s classes. Basow is one of several professors who teach a section of Journalism 640 Strategic Campaigns, which is the required capstone class in the journalism school’s Strategic Communication track.

“Each semester, students in J640 develop a research-based campaign that solves a current problem for a real-world client,” Basow said. “This includes conducting research and applying the research to develop actionable recommendations. In this particular case, in addition to learning about strategic campaigns, these students actually get to see the results of their research-based recommendations here on campus in the form of the newly named Watkins Health Services.”

In addition to their KU-focused research, teams of journalism students, along with representatives from Watkins Health Services, traveled to four universities with strong health care programs: Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.

Basow said health care communications is a priority for him and many of his colleagues in the journalism school. He said about one-third of his classes’ clients are corporations (like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City and Sprint), one-third are state and local agencies (like the state departments of Commerce, Revenue and Tourism), while the remaining third are KU departments and units. KU clients range from research organizations like the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets and the KU Biodiversity Institute, to departments like Student Services and the Kansas Union.

Wed, 10/29/2014

author

Joe Monaco

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