XM radio ESPN xtra… I can’t find the link either. Some commentators mentioned it casually when announcing something else. I sent them an email…
@BmacNJ Thank you for your service! My aunt is a nurse working ICU. You guys are heroes in this disaster. Godspeed!
I have family in some impacted states, and as a NYer was in an impacted state myself. Though I worked through the pandemic, during the worst days for two of the states where i lived, I had the luxury of socially distancing from people outside of the home. Though I lived within jogging distance of one of the worst early clusters inNY (yes, the New Rochelle situation), no one I personally know was diagnosed with Covid19. I was around a Lot of people during that time, but always following the social distancing, mask, hand sanitizer rules as did every single person who was near me other than close family with whom I was living. They too followed these rules.
And , I guess we’ll be following these rules for a while longer. Though cases are dripping in my states, we aren’t out of the woods. I dread flu season, RSV season. Both DH and I are seriously considering retiring from work and staying holed up through next year I am hopeful for a spring 2021 break from all of this.
Problem is that as things open up, and more folks out there being careless, the more difficult it will be for those of us who are taking disciplined precautions to be as safe as we would be if everyone did. So far, I’ve been lucky. Everyone in my world, at the stores, in the area are still taking this seriously. But that’s not the case everywhere.
My mom is freaking out after reading this from WaPo.
Behind a paywall - can you summarize?
@taverngirl Sorry, don’t want to accidentally misquote or be accused again by the CC Censorship of anything unintentional. Please try a different device that’s not heavy on WaPo free articles already.
@taverngirl - It’s a “study” of 200 parent and student responders complaining about university health care centers. They highlight a couple of big misses and talk about how few schools have accredited health care centers.
My guess is that if we reviewed MD office, urgent care, and ER visits we’d find the same level of complaints and missed diagnoses.
There are always a ton of complaints on FB about Purdue’s health care center because they are very reluctant to give out antibiotics (rightfully so IMO) but there are always the “my kid went to the minute clinic and got just what they needed and PUSH gave them nothing.” Our D’s personal experience with campus health care has been super. They don’t overmedicate but they also don’t under-medicate either. If they are in doubt, they’ll refer to the local ER.
I try to calm my mom down by telling her that colleges with big med schools and hospitals nearby are better with diagnosis. Don’t want to be forced into applying for gap…
In my opinion college health centers are for run of the mill illnesses like flu, strep throat, ear infections, sore throat, contraception etc… the stories in that article are extreme and most if not all of those kids should have gone to the ER with the symptoms they were reporting.
As far as Covid goes…if colleges are testing students should be identified if they have the virus. As far as treatment, college Heath centers aren’t going to be “treating” those kids. Students will either self treat or they’ll end more sick and go to the ER.
@LimboKid the good news for you is that most, if not all of the ivies have hospitals associated with them.
There is a big $$$ difference between going to a university health center and an ER (or even an urgent care). Be sure your kid knows where to go and what your health insurance will cover.
My daughter went to the ER in her college town and it was not horrible but about $2000. She went to one while in Orlando (it was a kidney infection) and it was $18000 for about 3 hours, an MRI, a bag of fluids, some labs. That didn’t include the simple antibiotic that she had to pay for at the pharmacy.
@vpa2019 Thanks. My committed and wl colleges all have big university hospitals.
@twoinanddone 18 grand?! We don’t have that kind of money lying around. My dad said he will buy the college health insurance package for me. That should cover the college hospital costs including COVID, right? Like with a $25 co-pay or something…
S19 went to an off campus Urgent Care clinic with 104 temp (while taking advil and tylenol) and they pretty much blew him off. His coach made him go to the University Health Center the next day. (He did not go in as an athlete sent by a coach, just a regular walk in student). Night and day difference. Taken very seriously and got him on the mend. The doc said even though not really consistent with mono, because he was in a contact sport they were going to do a mono test just to be safe.
Best part from my point of view, after the tests come back, the doc sends a message to his portal with a summary of the tests, the appointment, and instructions. So all he had to do was give me his login, and I could see everything, rather than have an 18 year old with a 104 fever try to relay to me what happened.
Bonus is that the doc also sent a message to the coach telling him S was to be held out from all practices for at least 48 hours. As a relatively new freshman, he REALLY didn’t want to tell the coach he couldn’t practice. IIRC they had a 3 mile timed run the next day and he felt like he looked bad if he didn’t participate. The doc shut him down, and also communicated that fact to the coach, which I appreciated.
As a student in the 90’s, I was unimpressed with my health center. I am VERY impressed with the 2 that my boys have dealt with at 2 different universities.
@LimboKid different schools are different so you need to check on it. S18 just uses my regular health insurance. S19 had to buy it for his U, and it is honestly a much better policy than what I have for the rest of the family.
And…the state in which my son’s college is located took our state of residency off the travel quarantine list. Huge relief, and hope that everything stays as is or improves for three more weeks …
@AnnaFlannery Great news for you! So far, Cuomo of the Empire State is the only governor going full combat mode against quarantine violations. He just went on Twitter against to “remind” people “they will be fined if in violation…”
@dadof4kids Appreciate the advice! Time to begin the journey of understanding health insurance.
Many states have quarantine lists. Travelers from states on those lists are supposed to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. In many states violators can be fined, but in others they risk jail time as well. College bound families should check the state websites of their children’s schools before traveling.
If states are going to require quarantines, which I don’t have an issue with, the schools should allow the kids to arrive 2 weeks before the semester/orientation begins. The school should provide these 2 weeks free of charge and perhaps a small fee for the food delivery. For off campus kids, that’s more difficult because it’s definitely on the honor system and they’ll have to arrange for food delivery. In addition, the roommates, if any, should arrive on the same day.
Why? The school is not making the rules, the state is. If the state charged a fee to register a car or cross a bridge to get into the state, the school wouldn’t pay that. If the school requires vaccinations before attending, those aren’t paid for by the school.
The more things the school has to provide (masks, wipes, isolation rooms, delivered food, tests) the more it costs for schools to operate the higher tuition, fees and room and board will go. None of this is free, it’s just deferred and then will be passed on to future students.
@twoinanddone
Well it really costs the school nothing to allow the kids to move in 2 weeks early. No one is in those dorm rooms. And if the kids pay for the food for the 2 weeks then I don’t see how it’s much of an extra cost to the schools.
Plus if the kids don’t stay in the dorms where will they quarantine? At a hotel? Seems inefficient.