Task Force prepares final report on health

The University's Task Force on Health and Well-Being will issue its third and final report in mid-November, which will provide a detailed budget and establish a set of goals to improve health services across the University.

In its first two reports, the task force focused on eight problem areas, including nutrition and University Health Services (UHS).

The final report will assess the same areas, but will also include cost estimates and will prioritize goals, said University Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee '69.

In an email, President Tilgman wrote, "the challenge of the task force is twofold: to prioritize their list . . . [and] to begin to attach costs to the proposals."

"We simply cannot do everything that is on their 'wish list,'" she added.

The other areas for improvement identified by the task force included the Student Health Plan; fitness facilities; integration of health, wellness, and fitness services; faculty and staff issues; postdoctoral student concerns; and child care.

However, Durkee said, it is not clear that there is consensus on what areas of health and wellbeing require the most attention.

"There's a lot of data to digest," Durkee said.

The task force has yet to incorporate information from recent student surveys.

Students requested extended hours for Dillion Gymnasium in a survey conducted last spring.

The University community also wanted to know more about the nutritional content of campus food and the available health resources.

The University has already addressed some of the task force's recommendations, which included the recent transformation of the Beverage Lab in Frist Campus Center into the Health Lab.

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UHS will launch a new, more accessible website in October.

They also made improvements to the student health plan.

Durkee noted that most of the work going into the final report has revolved around child care for faculty, staff and graduate students. This work may lead to the postponement of the mid-November deadline of the final report.

"It's not a hard and fast deadline . . . we have a lot of work to do," Durkee said.

While the second report issued in May called for work to be done over the summer, Durkee and Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson, co-chairs of the task force, said the group met Sept. 16 for the first time.

"[At the meeting,] we went over some proposed recommendations," Dickerson said.

But Durkee and Dickerson said prioritizing the task force's recommendations is the first step in establishing a preliminary budget for work.

Dickerson said that the task force was "preparing to discuss [the budget], but hasn't made any concrete plans."

The task force only has the power to recommend budget proposals, as they have no direct control over University finances. It will recommend a budget to the Priorities Committee, which will either pass it on to President Tilghman for approval or deny the request.

Tilghman hands then gives the budget to the trustees for a final voted.

But Durkee remains focused on the task at hand.

"The only thing the task force can do at the end of the day is provide recommendations," he said.