College students have a lot to worry about. Between going to class, writing papers and studying for exams, worrying about what to do when they get sick is not something most want to think about.

But that type of worry can quickly become a reality should they catch the latest bug that happens to be going around at SF State, where more than one third of the student body does not have health insurance, according to the Student Health Service.

However, Student Health Service staffers are working very hard to ensure that every student knows they do have a place to turn, should they become ill. Many students may not be aware of it, but they pay a $99 student health service fee each semester, which entitles them to primary care services on campus at little or no cost.

The Student Health Service is completely supported by student fees, although a lot of students may shy away from using their services because they are unfamiliar with them.

Rebekah Skoor, 24, a graduate student in human sexuality, said that she was not even aware that she paid any kind of fee for health services and is only vaguely familiar with what the Student Health Service has to offer.

“I don’t consider our health center an option for me because I don’t know anything about it,” Skoor said. “I don’t know if I have to pay, or if it’s free, or if I have already paid, so I just go somewhere else.”

The Student Health Service, which is under the guidance of new Medical Director Dr. Alastair K. Smith, is working hard to provide top-notch care to students, and is actively trying to get the message out about the services that they provide in hopes that more students will take advantage of the services that they wholly fund.

“Many students are under the impression that they have to have health insurance to come here,” said Kamal Harb, a health educator for the Student Health Service. “But for $99 a semester, students can come here and see a physician for free.”

Either for free or for a very small fee, students can receive primary care services at the Student Health Service. These services make up a majority of what is provided and include care for illnesses or injuries, x-ray procedures, nutritional counseling and pharmacy services, to name a few. Included in primary care are also a women’s services clinic, a men’s assessment clinic and a skin clinic.

The Student Health Service also provides specialty services to the students for a reasonable additional fee. Among these services are a podiatry clinic, a wellness clinic, and an optometry clinic, which is operated by the faculty and residents of the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry Eye Center.

Working to ensure that students are physically healthy is a priority of the Student Health Service. They also provide workshops to help ensure that students are also mentally and emotionally ready to tackle all that is thrown their way.

The “extra credit for a healthy future” workshops offered throughout the semester deal with subjects ranging anywhere from meditation and stress reduction to coping with the end of a relationship and how to quit smoking. These workshops, which are open to all students, faculty and staff, are sponsored in conjunction with SF State faculty from various departments.

Because students already pay for the Student Health Service and it is only for the use of the students, Harb said he recommends it be the first place that they go should they need medical care.

Psychology major Kirya Traber said that even though she does have health insurance, she uses the Student Health Service because of its convenience.

“I moved here for school with no doctor, so I actually do use the health center as my first choice because of its location,” Traber said.

Anne Cashmore, a post-bachelor biology major and a member of the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), said her group really wants to “make sure that the students and the Student Health Service are on the same page.” SHAC is a group of students who work closely with the Student Health Service to help promote health education on the SF State campus.

“We want to make sure that the students on this campus are getting what they need,” Cashmore said.

To help facilitate this, SHAC plans to offer events such as an African American health fair and a stress relief day, in conjunction with the Student Health Service to ensure that students are aware of all SF State’s campus has to offer, in terms of health care.