In honor of our #hcxoyourself campaign this month, we felt it was an appropriate time to inform our readers of all the resources currently available to them as DePaul students. #hcxoyourself is all about wholeheartedly accepting and loving the body you’re in. It is so imperative to prioritize your health – mental and physical – in college. We balance school, work, extracurriculars, our social lives, and, hopefully, our well-being. By establishing healthy habits today, we can set ourselves up for an overall higher quality of life forever.
Never forget that all health matters are legitimate and that you should never feel embarrassed reaching out for help.
This week I will be highlighting the services provided through the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness.
The office’s official mission is to empower the DePaul community “to embrace a healthy lifestyle, creating a culture of health and well-being that fosters personal and academic success…[they] provide information and cover topics that range from nutrition, physical fitness, mental health, sexual health and relationship violence and more” (offices.depaul.edu).
Sexual Health and Violence Prevention
The office offers direct support to any sexual assault survivor through “a student-centric, empowerment approach” (offices.depaul.edu). On the other hand, the offices works actively to promote safe and respectful sexual behavior as a way to prevent sexual violence and advocate for the necessity of consent, protected sex, and overall healthy sexual relationships.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention
They want reduce as much harm as possible from alcohol and drug use through educating students in order to develop a responsible decision-making mindset.
Health Education
This catch-all branch of their services cover everything from “sexual health, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, healthy relationships, alcohol and drug prevention, mental health, stress, nutrition, meal planning, physical activity and more” (offices.depaul.edu).
Health Services
DePaul partnered with Sage Medical Group to provide care close-to-home for students living on or near to campus. The fee for this service is automatically added for students living in the dorms every quarter, but for everyone else, this is an optional service. The doctors’ offices are located at 1150 W. Fullerton on the 2nd floor right across from the Clifton residence hall.
Personally, I can attest to the great care of the staff there. I have had strep throat twice over the last two years, and I can easily say the last thing I want to do when I feel sick is to hop on the El to get to a doctor. I was able to book an appointment on the same day I called. On each instance, I was taken in within 15 minutes of my scheduled appointment time and was out within the half hour. The doctor was especially kind and helpful, and not to mention quick! I was able to pick up my prescription at CVS directly afterwards.
Health Insurance
Last, but not least, they offer another optional service to students at a fee – health insurance through Aetna Health.
I highly recommend following DePaul HPW on Twitter and liking them on Facebook. They are always holding new events!
You can visit their office in Lincoln Park at the Student Center, Suite 302, call them at 773-325-7129, or email them at hpw@depaul.edu.
For more information: https://offices.depaul.edu/student-affairs/about/departments/Pages/hpw.aspx#contact-sa.