The Bakersfield College Student Health Center, located on the first floor of the Student Services building, has a variety of health related services for BC students.
According to the BCSHC’s mission statement, its goal is “to provide basic quality health care to assist students in attaining and maintaining a state of optimal physical and mental health, to promote wellness and enhance academic success.”
The $13 student health fee required by students after registration at BC “covers consultations with all health center staff,” according to the BCSHC Web site. However, the student health fee alone is not medical insurance coverage and the BCSHC recommends students on their parents’ medical insurance know their carrier.
While Section 120360 of the California Health and Safety Code states that “any student(s) seeking entrance” into a community college are not required to be screened for immunizations, many four-year institutions have specific immunization requirements, many of which may or may not have been required or administered for elementary and high schools.
Thus, the Health Center provides a variety of vaccinations recommended by the American College Health Administration.
Tuberculin skin tests are administered free at the Health Center on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and are required for students who work on campus. Hepatitis B vaccines are $30 and are administered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., whenever a doctor is available in the Health Center for assistance. In the event of an injury, a vaccine for Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis is to be administered if not already.
The BCSHC, as mandated by the health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is required by law “to maintain the privacy of [BC students’] protected health information (PHI),” only if granted by the written permission of the student, according to the BCSHC’s Privacy Notice to Patients. The disclosure of a student’s PHI without the student’s written consent only if required by subpoena, by “a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law,” or any of the other reasons listed in the privacy notice, which can be found on the BCSHC’s Web site.
Other services at the BCSHC include pressure monitoring, diabetes screening, first aid, hearing and vision screening, over-the-counter medications, urine tests and physical exams.