“We have been asked by (MSU Provost Kim Wilcox) to explore the possibility and the potential benefits to students if the student health services is relocated to the Clinical Center,” Moorer said.

The Clinical Center currently houses clinics, classrooms and various medical departments, including a radiology department.

Moorer, along with leaders at Olin and the MSU HealthTeam, among others, still are discussing the possible move and what it would mean for students.

Updates on the move could surface as soon as this month, including a final decision by Wilcox, Moorer said.

The idea for the move was introduced about a month ago, mainly to address budget reductions by eliminating some duplicate services such as pharmacies and physical
therapy departments, she said.

“That might be better for the university and, therefore, for the students because it would be a cost savings,” Moorer said.

Officials still are discussing the fate of the Olin building, budgets and other information, university spokesman Jason Cody said.

“No decisions have been made,” Cody said. “This is all still under discussion … especially in hard economic times, universities continue to look at ways to
save costs on providing services.”

No-preference freshman Olivia Vanelslander has been considering a trip to Olin but is worried that if services are moved the distance will prevent her from easily accessing health services.

“It would be inconvenient,” she said. “I live by Brody, so stuff is far away anyway. I was thinking about going to the doctor, (but) I would probably just ask my mom to
get me medication or something.”

Moorer said university officials are considering the possible move and its distance from Olin’s current location in their discussions.

“We know that it’s not centrally located and we want to be sure that it’s accessible for students,” Moorer said.

She said officials would consider adding additional Capital Area Transportation Authority bus routes to the Clinical Center, as well as courtesy vans to transport students to the new location.

Creating space to house health services in the Clinical Center could become an issue, Moorer said.

“Right now the clinical center is pretty well occupied … Most of their space is being used,” she said.

If officials decide to go through with the move, students could see changes as soon as fall 2010, Moorer said.

“We want to be sure we’re available to students and that the students are getting a high quality health care service,” she said. “We want to maintain that.”

Officials from the MSU Clinical Center declined to comment.