College health
College health is a desired outcome created by a constellation of services, programs and policies directed at advancing the health and wellbeing of individuals enrolled in an institution of higher education, while also addressing and improving both population health and community health. Many colleges and universities worldwide apply both health promotion and health care as processes to achieve key performance indicators in college health. The variety of healthcare services provided by any one institution range from first aid stations employing a single nurse to large, accredited, multi-specialty ambulatory healthcare clinics with hundreds of employees. These services, programs and policies require a multidisciplinary team, the healthcare services alone include physicians, physician assistants, administrators, nurses, nurse practitioners, mental health professionals, health educators, athletic trainers, dietitians and nutritionists, and pharmacists. Some of the healthcare services extend to include massage therapists and other holistic health care professionals. While currently changing, the vast majority of college health services are set up as cost centers or service units rather than as parts of academic departments or health care delivery enterprises.
To continually achieve college health, many institutions engage in both the process of healthcare and the process of health promotion. The advancement of student health through educational, political, regulatory and organizational supports is referred to as Health Promotion in Higher Education. As the current era of public health, health promotion goes beyond bio-behavioral influences using a settings approach, with the settings including: school health, institution/community health, and work sites. The American College Health Association is one national body in The States that provides measurable guidelines for enhancing the quality of services, programs and policies. Another national body in the field of college health is the National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF), which is dedicated to the promotion and support of emergency medical services on college and university campuses. Other national and international associations include National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA).
Ever increasing levels of college health often requires comprehensive environmental management, the coordination of resources, and institutional accountability for addressing the negative health impacts from alcohol use disorder and other substance abuse, mental illnesses such as depression and general anxiety disorders, sexual assault and discrimination among others. The creation of innovative strategies to address the behavioral determinants of health among post-secondary students continues to pose challenges for institutions worldwide.