UHS Requests Dialogue

To the editors:

There appear to be a variety of perceptions about Harvard University Health Services (UHS) and its services to the College student (News, November 9). In this open letter to the students at the College, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues and others and to comment on the services provided by UHS.

First, it is important for the College community to understand what UHS is. We are accredited by the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation, receiving a score of 99 out of 100 in January 1998 after a thorough review of the quality of care we provide. We are open 24 hours each day, seven days each week, 52 weeks each year. We serve students, faculty, staff and retirees in an integrated delivery system. Our primary care clinicians are drawn from first-tier training programs and have made career commitments to practicing in a university setting; the specialists are all drawn from major Harvard University-affiliated teaching hospitals. We provide 180,000 ambulatory visits per year, with over 60 percent of them student visits. We emphasize preventive medicine as well as treatment. We have at least three intake mechanisms for collecting concerns about communication and quality of care: the Peer Student Advisory Program through the Student Health Advisory Council; the Patient Advocate's Office at 495-7583; and contact by telephone, letter or e-mail to the Director of UHS at 75 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 495-2010 or drose@uhs.harvard.edu. We have a Quality Management Committee that is responsible for assuring that UHS quality monitoring systems are effective and the outcome of care is high, as well as frequent review of medical records to indicate quality of care from all of our departments.

We take all student concerns seriously, and we want to hear them when they happen or as soon as possible to evaluate and respond to those concerns. We urge those students quoted in the article to contact the patient advocate so that we can investigate their complaints. If anyone has an issue, we urge him or her to contact UHS through any of the mechanisms above.

We at UHS welcome constructive dialogue with all Harvard students. I have personally contacted the president of the Undergraduate Council to initiate such a dialogue. I invite students to two symposia this week which will discuss student health issues: on Wednesday, November 18 at the Science Center from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursday, November 19 at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on Irving Street.

We look forward to constructive dialogue as we work together to maintain a healthy community. We want your trust and we want to help you remain healthy at Harvard and support you in strategies to enhance your lifelong health. November 16, 1998 The writer is Director of University Health Services.