Cold and flu season is upon us once again.

With the season of sickness descending upon the campus community, Director of the Cohen Student Health Center Judy Smith, Ph.D., has a message for students.

“We want to make sure students feel comfortable coming to the center when they are sick,” said Smith. “Even if you don’t think you are sick enough to warrant an appointment with the doctor, we can schedule you with one of our nurses who can be of assistance to you.”

Sarah Hlusko photo: Cohen Health Center staff Patricia Kowalski-Colvin, R.N.; Thurman Alvey, D.O.; and Catherine Fritts, R.N., work together to treat ill students.

Freshman Jenna Dingeldein thought the health center was helpful.

“Being from Canada, it’s hard for me to get prescriptions, and they went above and beyond to help get me what I needed,” Dingeldein said.

Smith indicated that the most common ailments they have seen at the health center this winter have been strep throat, upper respiratory infections and a variety of viruses.

“We see anywhere from 14 to 17 people a day during the doctors’ hours, as well as any number of additional students for the nurses,” Smith said.

Due to students living and interacting so close with one another, Smith pointed out a trend in the number of students coming to the center with similar symptoms.

“We may see one to two cases of strep in the beginning of the week, and by the end of the week we have increased the number of cases,” Smith said.

Overall, Smith thinks this has been a very typical cold and flu season on campus, and did not feel like the warmer than normal temperatures have kept any illnesses at bay.

“The most important thing to remember when staying healthy is to go back to the basics. Try to minimize your stress levels, eat healthy and strive for a healthy amount of sleep each night,” said Smith. “We take a holistic approach to wellness and encourage students to make their well being a priority.”

Smith acknowledged that these next few weeks are typically busy for students but urged them to make every effort to stay healthy.

“If I could give one piece of advice to the student body, it would be to slow down. I realize it is difficult, but slowing down will help students to stay healthy.”