Office Spotlight: Health Center
Alicia Tay ’27
Staff Writer

Situated beneath Richmond Hall, the Loomis Chaffee Health Center is home to an exceptional team of nurses and doctors, who—with their meticulous care—establish the Health Center as a haven of well-being on the Island. From handing out Band-Aids to treating severe injuries (including the occasional concussion), the Health Center indefatigably attends to Loomis students’ welfare throughout their time on campus.
“We provide any care that students may need…[and] also help with students who take any type of medication,” said Jennifer Flynn, a Nurse Practitioner. “We also assist and help manage… students with any kind of chronic medical condition.”
The number of students who visit the Health Center fluctuates daily, depending on factors such as time of day and season.
“We had about 227 students come in through the health center in a seven-day period [last week]. So the average is about 32 visits during the day,” said Carolyn Jarvis, Director of Health Services. “There’s hot spots for certain times, [such as Community Free]. Lunch times can also be busy.”
The Health Center flexibly adapts to each student’s altering needs based on their individual conditions and previous medical history. These detailed necessities can range from migraines to managing chronic illnesses.
“When I was five, I started having arthritis because I had an overdose of medicine, which affected my muscles. And it doesn’t go away – it stays for life,” said Madi Cuenca ’27. “Usually, my mom would order the medicine, and she would help me with injecting [it] before I came to Loomis. When I [arrived], my mom made the order and brought it to the Health Center. Now, I go there once a week for my injection. The nurses have always been super nice.”
The Loomis community is credited for its diversity, with students traveling in from around the world. This subsequently brings about a new problem when dealing with an assortment of medicine: medication originating from outside the United States requires additional approval.
“Often, international students bring medications from home to school. Unfortunately, Loomis Chaffee does not allow any medications not purchased in the United States to be in students’ possession or to be administered by the Health Center,” said Dr. Mary Adler, Medical Director. “[I am] more than happy to review any medications brought from outside the United States and can help replace them with a US equivalent. This is for both prescription and non-prescription medications. Some medications have an identical US equivalent, but some are not approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) either because they have not been studied enough or because another medication has been found to be more effective and safer.”
Other than assisting with everyday health services, the Health Center also deals with heavier issues, such as the sanctuary policy.
Sanctuary is not limited to specific cases, rather it is a code established for anyone who finds themselves in complex situations and desires to seek medical attention without fear of judgment or disciplinary actions. Contrary to popular belief, sanctuary applies not only to students who struggle with addiction, but expands to a wide array of cases.
“The Health Center has a specific role in sanctuary. We are there to keep you all safe. We’ll ask what substances were used, the amounts, and if there [was] anyone else in the dorm or on campus [who] needs medical attention as well,” said Ms. Jarvis. “Then, the student will be admitted to the health center to be medically monitored, typically overnight. And then counseling will talk to them as soon as the student is considered sober…we honestly are very proud of the students who use sanctuary correctly because we’d rather help the student than [make] them feel like they need to hide something.”
The Health Center opens its doors to every member of the Loomis community with empathy and expertise. Thanks to the dedication of staff members, LC students can thrive physically and emotionally as they pursue their academic and extracurricular interests on the Island.