FEB 6, 2025 | NEWS | By Kathryn Mahoney
Before December 2024, if a Colorado College student went to the health center with a cough, headache, runny nose or worse, they likely saw a medical professional working for a prior healthcare company.
That changed on Jan. 6.
Now, with flu season in full swing, students are streaming through the health center and being seen by UCHealth providers.
Janelle Taylor, associate vice president of the Student Health Center, said the college switched because of a “decline in the quality” of the previous healthcare group’s service and their decision to close urgent care centers in the city in the fall.
“We just didn’t think that that was the level of service that our students deserved,” Taylor said.
Taylor also acknowledged that there are still some kinks to work out about the transition.
“UCHealth has a much broader network, and they also have virtual urgent care,” she said. “It is a way for you to access services after hours or if you don’t want to leave your dorm room.”
Students in Block 5 might have noticed their classmates or themselves missing class because of an illness.
“We saw 20, 22 patients a day. Every single one of them were getting flu tests and they were all positive,” Jordan McCarthy, the supervisor of operations for UCHealth Primary Care at CC, said about last week’s spike in sickness.
McCarthy said the health center even ran out of flu shots and had to drive to different offices to get tests.
“It was crazy last week,” she said.
Taylor emailed the campus community last week explaining an “uptick in viral illnesses, including influenza (flu),” and how to prevent such cases. She advised washing hands frequently, wearing masks around others, getting the flu vaccine, and disinfecting surfaces.
“After Winter Break is when sickness tends to break out with cold weather and lots of people in enclosed spaces,” McCarthy said in the email.
“I think I got sick from some of my friends,” student-athlete Ella Roe ‘26 said. “A few of my teammates were sick, and I had been with them over the weekend and then one of my roommates got sick, so I pretty much accepted my fate.”
Sickness on the fast-paced Block Plan might have slowed down other student-athletes like Roe.
“Getting the flu truly uprooted my entire week,” said Charlotte Iler ‘27, also a student-athlete. “I was unable to do my homework … due to low energy, and spent many hours sleeping where I would have been either at practice, lift, class or the library.”
According to Nick Metskas, an assistant athletic trainer at CC, several student-athletes were out sick last week. He estimated between 40 to 50 athletes were affected, and those with a fever or feeling unwell were asked to stay home. Other athletes reported not feeling their best but still chose to play.
Some students had their own explanations for their sudden illness this block.
Several students admitted to participating in keg stands, a drinking game where a participant performs a handstand on a beer keg and drinks as much as possible. Participants shared the keg tap, and some reported feeling unwell after last weekend.
One student, who requested anonymity because they are not of legal drinking age, had an idea of what led to their illness: “We all shared a keg, and then we all got sick.”