Student health services at four rural colleges: implications for healthcare reform

Abstract

This study investigated services available at health centers at four rural colleges. It also investigated the healthcare accessible to students at those institutions if college health services were unavailable. The authors used a survey and interview procedure to establish the existence of healthcare resources in two adjacent communities and to identify barriers to student use. Findings from the study indicate that, for many students attending rural colleges, the student health center may be the only source of primary healthcare available. The data support the need to include student health centers at rural colleges in the national healthcare reform agenda because closing any one of these schools' health centers could result in a healthcare disaster for some students.