mcdonaldge@lopers.unk.edu

UNK Student Health & Counseling will not be testing students on campus until September, due to delivery delays. Instead, students will be directed to Kearney’s Test Nebraska location at CHI Health Good Samaritan.

“Right now, the demand is greater than the supply for testing,” said Susan Pedersen, the assistant director of student health. “Until we get the materials, we will refer students to Kearney’s Test Nebraska program, which gets results to people in approximately three days.”

CHI Health Good Good Samaritan hospital, 3320 Ave. A, will be offering testing services to the public from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

The testing process involves a nasopharyngeal swab, which collects secretions from the back of the nose. Cindy Ference, the associate director of Student Health, said this is the most effective method for coronavirus testing at the moment.

Pedersen said Student Health & Counseling had plans to test symptomatic students this fall, but yesterday, a phone call from the company informed them of the backorder.

Students with COVID-19 symptoms can schedule telehealth visits to access medical advice and testing information.

“We’re really just wanting symptomatic people to give us a call,” said Wendy Schardt, the director of Student Health and Counseling. “Our door will be closed because we want to make sure that we have students calling or doing telehealth with us. We’ll have a back door for sick students and a different door for healthy students.”

Schardt said Student Health and Counseling will also have a full-time physician’s assistant from Platte Valley Medical Group under the Kearney Regional Medical Center.

Alongside physical health, UNK Student Health & Counseling is tending to the student body’s mental health in the midst of a pandemic.

“Most of what it is with the pandemic is going back to basics like getting enough sleep, making sure you’re eating right, staying on a schedule even if you know you can’t leave or you’re trying to limit what you’re doing and reaching out to support system,” said Kiphany Hof, the associate director of counseling. “There is a Canvas course that has local and national resources that has 

meditation videos. It has apps people can download to help with their mental health and suicide prevention numbers and that is accessible to anyone.”

For full-time UNK Lopers, the first three counseling sessions are free, and additional sessions are $10. Students can also visit “Coping With Covid” resources by visiting the Canvas link https://canvas.unk.edu/courses/28590.

Resources can be found on the UNK Student Health & Counseling website. This includes the COVID-19 self-checker, guidance and testing information, temperature and symptoms log, UNK medical clearance form, and COVID-19 travel reporting form https://www.unk.edu/offices/counseling_healthcare/index.php.