A painful lesson learned by a Cerritos College student is a wakeup call for all the students on campus concerning any health emergencies.

Terrell Berry, speech major, requested the Cerritos College Student Health Services Department for a wheelchair service to use on campus after injuring his foot, but his request was turned down.

The refusal left him in confusion and also spread uneasiness among the student community at large about the reliability of the Student Health Services.

But later, the explanation given by Student Health Services Coordinator Nancy Montgomery for this issue cleared a lot of apprehensions and reminded the students of the correct procedure to follow in any kind of health emergency.

According to Berry, he hurt his foot while trying to catch a train back home and because of not having insurance he had to limp back home.

He initially tried to walk off the pain, but the next day when he came to college, his pain had excruciated and he was hardly able to walk.

“My ankle started throbbing as soon as I got to school, making it unbearable for me to walk,” he said.

He asked International Student Admissions assistant Jeanne Harmon for help and she called the campus police.

The campus police asked Berry a few questions and told him to call the Student Health Services.

But it denied Berry wheelchair assistance because of “liability issues.”

However, it asked Berry to come in so that he can be properly examined and given the treatment that he needed.

“I was really upset when I was denied a wheelchair. I had to attend my classes so my friends decided to drag me in a swivel chair to the Health Services Center so that I can be treated,” he said.

Montgomery took Berry’s case as an example to remind the students that the Student Health Services exists on campus to serve students in the best possible way.

“We contract under the Pioneer Medical Group and work under the license of a medical director who writes a guideline for us of what to do and what not to do on campus,” she explained.

She said that it is impossible for the Health Services to go out on campus and practice treatment.

The reason she gave for the Student Health Services practicing only within the “four walls” of the clinic is because not all medical diagnostic equipment can be taken around on campus and the best way to provide treatment is at the clinic.

She also pointed out that going out on campus to treat students will also stall treatment of the students who visit the clinic, most of the times in an emergency.

“The best way to get to the health services in case of an emergency is to ask a friend to drive up to the ramp behind the clinic, from where the student can be taken in for treatment,” she said.

The health services have all the required equipment needed for examination, and if a situation is severe, then the paramedics can be called in.

“Clutches, ankle supports, ice packs and other medical aides are available for students without any charge. But due to liability issues, wheelchairs cannot be given out,” she clarified.

“We want to provide quicker and better care to students,” she said, emphasizing the reliability of the Student Health Services.

She also advised the students to call the campus police directly if a critical situation arises rather than contacting the health services, as the campus police get a quicker response from the 911 hotline.