VALLEY COLLEGE : Student Health Center to Open

Help is on the way for Valley College students without health care.

An on-site health center, scheduled to open Jan. 19 in the women’s gym, will “enable colleges to address a significant student need,” said Dennis Lee, fiscal administrator for East Los Angeles College.

The only cost will be a new mandatory $7.50 fee that all Los Angeles Community College District students must pay next semester. The district’s board of trustees approved the fee in April.

After that, committees put together a comprehensive package that will be available to all registered students, said Brenda Scranton, district director of student services.

For the fee, district officials say that students will be provided with much more than they would be able to buy elsewhere. “It’s not a lot of money we’re asking,” Lee said.

Valley’s program will be modeled after one already in place at East Los Angeles College.

“We give all the credit to East L.A. for blazing the trails,” said Valley President Mary Lee.

Valley plans to contract with Parthenia Medical Group in Sepulveda to provide basic health services. Mary Lee said the college also will apply for related grants to expand the operation.

She said she is uncertain which services will be offered when the site opens.

East Los Angeles’ Dennis Lee said each campus’ service will differ, depending on needs and resources. His college is planning to offer women’s services, health-care education, counseling in health and nutrition and other services, Lee said.

Only Mission College will not provide on-site services. Instead, that college will have a referral service.

The contracts will be brought before the board of trustees next Wednesday for ratification.