The IU Health Center announced Monday that preventative health care visits will be discontinued for the rest of the semester, according to a tweet from the center.
These discontinued visits only apply to health concerns that can wait until the coronavirus pandemic is over, according to an email from IU Health Center Medical Director Beth Rupp.
Women’s health exams, pap tests and physical exams are among those being canceled for the remainder of the semester, according to the tweet.
“We want to prevent healthy people from going out of the house as much as possible to prevent them from possibly getting sick,” Rupp said in the email. “We also want to encourage sick people to stay at home to prevent getting others sick.”
The health center will continue to see patients with chronic and acute medical conditions, and there is a plan to switch these types of visits to video conferences soon, according to the tweet. IU Health is implementing telemedicine capabilities and hopes to be able to use these by the end of the week, Rupp said.
The center also announced in a tweet that the IU Eye Clinic will be closed until the fall semester, and patients with acute eye problems should contact the Atwater Eye Care Center.
The health center pharmacy will remain open, according to the tweet. However, pharmacy residence hall delivery is canceled. Business hours are from 8 to 11:30 a.m and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, according to the tweet.
“The most important thing we can all do to control this pandemic is to cut off in person contact with anyone outside of our immediate household for the foreseeable future,” Rupp said.
