by Rebecca Rakoczy

For anyone experiencing a minor cut or sore throat during the school day, there was nowhere on the Georgia Perimeter College campus to go to get a bandage or receive medication.

That changed Jan. 18 when the ribbon on the new GPC Student Health Center was cut, officially opening the college’s first health center in its history.

Located on the ground floor of the H building on Clarkston Campus, the new health center is the result of a two-year concentrated effort by members of the GPC Student Government Association, with support from the Office of Student Life, Advising and Counseling and the GPC executive team, says Dr. Diane White, college dean for Health Sciences.

Funded by student fees, the center offers students access to non-emergency medical care, including physicals, gynecological check-ups, immunizations and point-of-care testing. Some over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen, Imodium and Tylenol, are free, as are STD testing, blood glucose analysis and condoms. And yes, that bandage is free.

Check the health center website for full information on services and fees.

Beginning in March, students on GPC’s Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton campuses also will be able to make appointments for health services, thanks to a visiting mobile health-care van. A calendar, listing the dates and times and places when the mobile health center van will be available, is on the health center website.

Appointments are encouraged, says Mary Wade, the center’s director and a registered nurse. Faculty and staff also can make appointments for services. Medical insurance is not currently accepted.

The health center is overseen by a medical director, Dr. Gulshan Harjee, an Emory University medical school graduate, who operates a practice in Decatur. Harjee told the crowd gathered at the opening that the “GPC student health center aligns with our national mandate for health care for all … [and] will also work to encourage and promote healthy habits for students.”

Other staff members are Suzanne Wetter, nurse practitioner; Tawanda Smith, registered nurse; Nicole Miller, medical assistant; and Carla Wheeler, administrative assistant.