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UNLV Taking Measures Against H1N1

Concerns about the H1N1 virus have prompted UNLV to enact proactive health measures on campus, including a brand new protocol for containing the spread of the virus in campus dormitories.

With an enrollment of about 28,000 students, UNLV is the size of a small city. And with close to 2,000 young adults living in the close confines of the dorms, campus health officials are doing everything they can now to head off an H1N1 crisis.

College students like sophomore Chip Connor make up one of the highest uninsured segments of the population, with one out of every three having no health coverage off campus. These young adults are the first to admit they don't always pay close attention to their health. ""When you're pulling long hours to study for tests, you just don't think about it," said UNLV junior Carlene Botts.

That's why on-campus health clinics like UNLV's student health center play a critical role in keeping students healthy and treating illnesses and injuries quickly. "Appointments are made the same day, so if you're in class and you start to feel sick you can call up and say, ‘Can I have an appointment today,'" said Botts.

The director of UNLV's student health center confirms 90-percent of their students are getting same-day appointments. With an on-campus lab and pharmacy, low-cost test results and prescription meds are just minutes away as well. Free flu kits are being distributed around the UNLV campus.

A new health protocol is being used for the first time this year to prevent the spread of flu, especially the H1N1 virus, in the college dormitories. Students with flu symptoms are encouraged to move to an isolated area of the dorm. ""When students go to the self-isolation floor, they have their meals delivered to them and they can get their laundry done," said Director of UNLV Student Health Center Tina Saddler.

The preventative measures appear to be paying off. So far, only four students have isolated themselves from their fellow dorm-mates, though health officials acknowledge southern Nevada's flu season has just begun.

UNLV students don't have to pay a dime to see the doc. A mandatory $70 health fee is included in each semester's tuition and that covers everything except prescription meds and lab tests and even those costs are discounted.