by Michel Shively and Clare Duffy |
University of Portland students now have the option to bypass waiting room lines, appointment booking and weekend runs to urgent care.
With the introduction of the new healthcare app, Health eXpress, at the beginning of the semester, students will now be able to video chat with doctors from Providence Health to diagnose and get prescriptions for everything from flu and sinus infections to anxiety and depression. The service is free to all full-time UP students and is available from 8 a.m. to midnight every day.
“We have always had the nurse on call, but with this one we are taking it a step further,” Health Center Director Margaret Trout said. “You are actually getting the treatment you need, like antibiotics, if that’s appropriate.”
Prescriptions can even be delivered to campus for $3 extra.
The app has 12 caretakers to choose from, depending on which ones are online and available at any given time. They are listed alongside a photo, a ranking out of five, a short description of their beliefs, language skills, schooling and years of experience.
Once a caretaker is chosen, it takes just a moment for the doctor to answer with a video chat. Students will be asked to show their UP ID for verification.
“I know when (the doctors) are working on the app, that part of their day is dedicated to the app,” Trout said.
Trout said some prescriptions or diagnoses may require blood work or other testing which can be done at the Health Center, often in same-day appointments.
The service has the advantage of bypassing making and waiting for appointments, but Trout doesn’t anticipate a significant change to the Health Center itself.
“I don’t see it freeing up our appointments, but rather being more utilized in the evenings or if (students) are out of town,” Trout said.
The app can be used from anywhere, including outside of Portland.
However, Health eXpress is currently only set up for a trial semester and, as of now, will not be offered after May 1. After that point, UP will evaluate if it is a program worth subscribing to for a full calendar year beginning next fall.
Trout emphasized that students should still look to the Health Center for help, saying that they are better prepared than they were previously.
“We haven’t been fully staffed for a long time, but we are now.” Trout said.
The Health Center hired a new employee on Jan. 4, ending a year and a half period of being understaffed.
How it works:
1. Download the app or log in at healthexpress.com.
2. Enter the code “HEALTHYUP” for undergrads, or “WELLGRADUP” for grad students.
3. Choose a healthcare provider, wait for a video chat call and prepare to show your student ID and current validation sticker.
Clare Duffy is the news editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at duffy17@up.edu or on Twitter @claresduff.
