Every semester, students pay a fee of $19 for their Health Center privileges. Most people on campus don’t utilize the resources available to them through this student service. Health insurance is expensive and usually not a cost that college students are able to account for in their usual budgets.

“I can do exams, lab draws, vaccines, [dispense] prescriptions and birth control as well as [perform] some testing for sexually-transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, or for pregnancy,” said Theresa Sofarelli, medical professional in the health center.

The on-campus clinic is located in bldg. 2, room 2-209 where it’s hidden in the far left corner of the hallway. It offers free and low-cost services, including being seen by the trained staff, prescriptions, and lab tests. Without insurance, these appointments can cost hundreds of dollars. Skyline is able to supply students with the health options they need for a fraction of the cost.

“I’m a [physician assistant] …a mid-level provider with a master’s degree,” said Sofarelli. “We are trained by medical doctors under the medical model. We’ve got very similar training to an MD but in a condensed form. We’ve got prescription writing abilities and can see patients on our own, diagnose, treat, and do minor procedures.”

Students can be evaluated for free and a physical exam is $30 at the health center which, if you are without insurance, could be hundreds less than you would have to pay out of pocket. Prescriptions are also subsidized, an example being that they offer birth control pills for $15 and if purchased elsewhere they can run for at least twice or even three times as much.

“Immunizations that are offered here are a third of what is offered at other places,” said Sofarelli. “Labs are … probably 100 times cheaper than you would get at a primary health care provider. For example, let’s say [someone needed] a thyroid test, we can do that for $10, whereas in a private office you could pay the price of up to $100 or $200.”

Planned Parenthood operates in the clinic on Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. They provide STD testing for males and females, birth control options, and well woman exams among other services. Their resources are vital on campus since a loss of a local Planned Parenthood in the Skyline College vicinity. The office runs out of San Jose and they travel to provide these amenities to students here.

These services are available to any registered student who has paid the health center fee, however the majority of students aren’t taking advantage of it. Compared to out-of-pocket fees, the low cost healthcare provided here could save individual students hundreds of dollars. Not only that, but if the people in need of health care can receive it in without fear of going broke, a lot of students could be in better states of mind and of health.

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INFO BOX CONTENT-

Laboratory Services

Basic blood work

Basic metabolic panel $10

Complete blood count $5

Comprehensive metabolic panel $10

Liver function panel $10

Hepatitis panel (acute) $35

Lipid panel $15

Thyroid $10

STD testing

Chlamydia/Gonorrhea $35

Herpes culture $75

HIV $10

Syphilis $5

Titers

Hepatitis B surface Ab $10

Measles $15

Mumps $15

Rubella $5

Measles/Mumps/Rubella panel $35

Varicella (chicken pox) $15

Vaccinations

Hepatitis A $10 19 years and younger

Hepatitis A $35 19 years and older

Hepatitis B $10 18 years and younger

Hepatitis B $40 19 years and older

Human Papilloma virus (HPV), 18 years and younger only $10

*Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR) $10

*Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis (TDaP) $10

Influenza (Flu) Shots Free (are given in the late Fall and early Spring)

*Please note that the MMR and Tdap can only be given to those without insurance. If you have any type of insurance private, Kaiser, Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Healthy San Francisco, ACE etc., you may not do these immunization with us.