New Health Care Plan for Students

Changing the healthcare system in place for the last half century, Yeshiva University has contracted out to an independent health care provider to supply medical care for students at the Main and Midtown campuses.

In a letter to parents, Dean of Students Efrem Nulman informed them that as of January 5, the Student Health Program for graduate and undergraduate students will be directed by the Greater Metropolitan Health System’s (GMHS) Corporate Health Services Network, (CHSN) a partnership of the Beth Israel Health Care System. The program "will deliver on-site services at our Main Campus and Midtown Center" wrote Nulman, "and will coordinate access to care within the entire GMHS." The on campus care is slated to be provided by a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant under the supervision of physician.

The new program is designed to supplant the old health care office run for years by Dr. Eli Sar. It is supposed to allow YU students access to the full range of medical facilities of the CHSN, including the Beth Israel Medical Centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Centers in Manhattan, and the DOCS network of physician practices. A student needing medical attention is supposed to receive preferential treatment at the hospital, and will be able to use the network of specialist doctors if the need should arrive. On campus, the clinics will be refurbished and revamped, and a "health care provider" will administer student care. This is a marked departure from the past, as no physician will be in the office. Nulman sought to reassure students who expressed apprehension over the fact that a doctor would not be on campus, and said that all medical care would be closely supervised by physicians and expertise of the network.

Beth Israel North, in Upper Manhattan, has been designated as the main center to serve YU students. The hospital is nationally recognized for their expertise in sports medicine, an advantage due to the sports injuries that may take place in the athletic center. Athletic Director Dr. Richard Zernick expressed his pleasure at having such a resource close at hand to deal with any injury that may arise. The hospital is is already a University affiliate, being the Manhattan campus for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "This creates a consumer conscious and user friendly service for the students," said Nulman.

"This is especially important because of the amount of students that come from out of town." The program is not a comprehensive full service student health program such as those at Columbia University or NYU. There is no University health insurance coverage; the student still must have private insurance coverage to pay their medical bills. Medical procedures are not to be scheduled through the Student Health Program, rather the program will only make referrals to physicians of the network, and if necessary, arrange emergency medical care.

When queried as to why the change was taking place now, Nulman said that the retirement of Dr. Sar after fifty years of service to the University afforded an opportunity to rectify any perceived faults in the system, "but we have only just begun to get our feet wet. Obviously kinks will have to be worked out of the system, but we hope student feedback will reach the Dean of Student’s office, and all perceived faults will be addressed. "