Catey Watkins

Deb Burlage, certified nurse practitioner, will soon dedicate her days to educating students and community members on reproductive health.

Starting Nov. 2, Burlage starts full time at the Family Planning Services located on the first floor of the Wellness Center. Family Planning came to SDSU as part of the Student Health Clinic and began services June 29. Since that time, they have seen 749 unduplicated clients.

“When Sanford discontinued their contract with Family Planning, which is a government program, we knew it would be a great addition,” said Brenda Andersen, who oversees most of the Student Health operations. “Student Affairs really insisted on the follow-through so we applied for the grant.”

The full-time position was being filled by three people on separate shifts, one of them being Burlage.

“We had great candidates, and we’ve had great feedback on Deb,” said Andersen. “She really focuses on being healthy. She looks at Pap smears as being a well-woman exam that focuses on a person’s overall well-being.”

Heidi Schultz, another practitioner at the clinic, said that students should know about the great services offered at Family Planning and that one need not be a student to benefit.

“Our services are for men and women both, from puberty to age 53. We provide counseling for STDs, birth control, infertility and family planning,” said Schultz. “The number of male students we get is really great, as our services are for them too. It’s important to know that we can provide HIV testing results in as quick as 15 minutes and other tests in four to five days.”

Family Planning provides care based on a sliding poverty scale. If a person makes less than $900 a month, paying for his or her services is strictly by donation. Since the on-campus pharmacy works with the clinic, many students can pick up prescriptions such as birth control right on campus.

“Having the Family Planning Clinic on campus is more convenient than somewhere else in town because you can stay on campus and get all the help you need,” said Julie Jaeger, a junior mathematics major. “Parking on campus is a pain, so if you have class all day with an occasional break, you don’t want to have to leave then come back to campus and deal with the hassle of finding another parking spot just because you had an appointment.”

Burlage will be working Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Schultz will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 605-688-6622 to make an appointment.

#1.881357:668616440.jpg:IMG_2320.1.jpg:SDSU recently added family planning services to Student Health. :Briana Troske