Building and Maintaining Healthy Habits

“We have nutritionists and dietitians that can talk about what you need to eat and caloric intake,” she said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to be accessible to students so they can feel comfortable coming here.” lifestyle changes, Bonner said the easiest way to get in contact with her is to schedule an appointment over the phone, but she also accepts walk-ins at Med Center Health at WKU Health Services.

Dr. Moyo-Peters also gave advice on how to manage health in college, including staying away from carbohydrates, choosing the stairs over elevators and leaving for classes early to take a longer route.

“A lot of patients have complained that they’re not eating as well as they did when they were at home, so increasing your activity level helps,” Dr. Moyo-Peters said.

Dr. Moyo-Peters also said Med Center Health at WKU Health Services cares about students' mental health just as much as their physical health.

“We do psychiatric medication management, and The Medical Center at Bowling Green offers behavioral health services if a patient is in crisis,” Miranda Bonner, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, said.

Bonner also said that physical and mental health are closely connected, so getting plenty of sleep, exercise and eating a healthy diet can positively impact mental health.

“People don’t think about sleep as helping your well-being overall, especially if you’re in college and you have to study for a lot of things,” Dr. Moyo-Peters said. “Good time management and making sure you get plenty of sleep will go a long way.”

Bonner said all students are welcome at Med Center Health at WKU Health Services and the staff’s top priority is making students feel safe and comforted.

“Everything is confidential, unless you’re at risk of harming yourself or others,” Bonner said.

Dr. Moyo-Peters said Med Center Health at WKU Health Services takes time to build rapport with students in order to develop a baseline and understand patients better.

“We’re welcoming to all students, including members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Dr. Moyo-Peters said. “We want to know what you want to be identified as and what you want us to call you.”

Dr. Moyo-Peters said Med Center Health at WKU Health Services meets students where they are to give them the best possible care.

“We want students to do well and be healthy,” Dr. Moyo-Peters said.

Being a college student can be difficult. Being a college student and juggling mental health, physical health and academics can feel almost impossible. It’s essential for students to understand the necessity of maintaining their physical and mental health and be aware of the resources available to them. Med Center Health at WKU Health Services is one of those resources.

“We know some things can be expected with being in college and away from home,” Dr. Noma Moyo-Peters, a primary care physician, said. “With patient care, we deal mainly with preventative care, wellness visits, shots, pap smears and acute care.”

Dr. Moyo-Peters said because Med Center Health at WKU Health Services is a primary care facility, students can bring their medical records from home and be connected to doctors locally, which allows them to get the proper care without distracting students from their education.

Bonner said she assesses and evaluates mental health conditions and offers medication management for psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression or ADHD.

“If you’re struggling to get out of bed, sleeping too much, not meeting your social expectations, canceling dates and plans or not responding to your social network, those are all red flags that something is wrong and you’re not meeting your normal behavior,” Bonner said.

If you’re noticing some or all of these

For more information, visit the Med Center Health at WKU Health Services website at www.wku.edu/healthservices or call 270745-2273.