The pharmacy at UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center will move to Ackerman Union next summer to expand clinical services within the Ashe Center, as discussed at an undergraduate student government meeting last Tuesday.
John Bollard, chief of administrative services at the Ashe Center, said the center is planning to hire more specialists, such as dermatologists and chiropractors, so students do not need to be referred to the UCLA Medical Center for specialty services.
He added Ashe Center officials are looking into adding a space for dental services, and are planning to open the pharmacy for longer hours to allow students to pick up medications at night and on weekends.
Bollard said Ashe Center officials do not yet know how much this move will cost, but they plan to use student fees to fund the renovations. He added officials should have a cost estimate in the next couple months.
Last year, the optometry center moved out of the Ashe Center so more space could be allocated to other specialty services, said Jasmine Jafari, chair of the Student Health Advisory Committee. She added she thinks long lines at the pharmacy inhibit access to the examination rooms toward the back of the Ashe Center.
Bollard said faculty and staff cannot fill prescriptions at the Ashe Center pharmacy, but they will be able to pick up medication when the pharmacy opens in Ackerman. He added the pharmacy at Ackerman will be able to charge faculty’s insurance companies directly.
Some students said they don’t think the move is necessary.
“Every time I’ve come to the Ashe Center, there are only two or three people in front of me,” said Sarah Crowley, a first-year business economics student.
Crowley added she thinks it is more convenient to go downstairs to get her prescription instead of walking across BruinWalk.
Other students think the change will positively enhance the services that the Ashe Center has to offer.
“A lot of people rely on UCLA health services because it has such a strong reputation in the medical field,” said Emily Robinson, a first-year undeclared student.
Robinson added she thinks it’s a good investment because UCLA students would receive better care as a result of the expansion.
Bollard said officials estimate the Ackerman pharmacy will open in September 2016.