First Responders Student Health Center staff found themselves at the forefront of the pandemic’s impact on UNCW. By Venita Jenkins
UNCW Student Health Center staff constantly prepares for the possibility of a regional or national pandemic, but the impact of COVID-19 was something they never imagined. “I never dreamed that a pandemic would bring the world to a stop,” said Katrin Wesner-Harts ’16 Ed.D., director of the Abrons Student Health Center. “I knew that travel and activities would be disrupted, but I don’t think I pictured it in such a global way.” As the new coronavirus spread overseas, UNCW health officials took steps to minimize the impact on campus. In early January, the student health center staff began monitoring coronavirus through information from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They led conversations with university officials about the campus response and provided information to students and faculty studying or conducting research in countries that reported a high number of cases. Health center staff helped students and faculty evaluate their travel plans and understand quarantine protocols. “We were helping people do a risk assessment,” said Wesner-Harts. “I see our role very much as providing a
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advice or guidance and helping people find the answers they need to make decisions.” About 180 students, a majority of study abroad participants, and a few faculty and staff members self-quarantined. Student health staff members were assigned a caseload of 30 individuals to monitor each day during the quarantine. UNCW Medical Director Dr. Walter Laughlin assisted in developing protocols for the Student Health Center’s response to students presenting with symptoms or concerns about COVID-19. He was also responsible for staying updated on the medical literature and guidance from the CDC, the NC Department of Health and Human Services, the county health department and New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The unknown factors and the ease in which the coronavirus transmitted from person-to-person prompted university leaders to shift to online and alternative teaching in March to help stem the potential spread of COVID-19. The Student Health Center followed suit, transitioning to telephone or video methods of providing health care services for students. It was difficult for the campus to change course in the middle of the semester, said Wesner-Harts.
