ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996 TAG: 9608010005
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: KATHY LU STAFF WRITER
She drives a half-hour down Interstate 81 every day from her Salem home to greet Radford University students afflicted with anything from the flu to studying problems.
"I don't mind, I love to drive," said Joyce Walter, director of Radford University Health Services. "It gives me a chance to process the day and clear my mind."
The quiet time is well-deserved. Since June 1995, when Walter took over as director, she has managed to expand the Women's Health Clinic to a full-time department, start the second anonymous HIV testing program on a Virginia college campus and launch a student health advisory council that trains students to be peer educators. Walter is also a member of Rotary International in Radford, the Chamber of Commerce and the executive committee for the Virginia HIV/AIDS Network.
"She's energetic, innovative and refreshing to work with," said Dr. Jody Hershey, director of the New River Health District. "She has no obligation to do any of the extra stuff, it's incredible how much she's involved."
Hershey worked with Walter on setting up the anonymous HIV testing program, which was begun at Virginia Tech. The testing site is one of the cooperative projects between the New River Health District and the universities to help students reduce high risk behaviors. Between September 1995 and April, the Virginia Tech site had tested 298 people: 125 males and 173 females.
"The HIV testing was something I had hoped to establish within the first three years that I was here. Luckily, it happened sooner," Walter said.
Although she had never heard of Radford before applying for the job, Walter has not had any trouble adjusting from her role as coordinator of health education at the University of Delaware. The Virginia mountains and foliage are reminiscent of her central Pennsylvania home and everyone here has been friendly and helpful, she said.
"It was kind of weird at first because I had been used to dealing with students in a good light and I would ask them how they're doing today," Walter recalled. "They would look at me funny and say, 'I'm here because I'm sick.'"
Radford's health services saw more than 13,000 students last year, which averages to about 500 patients a week. Walter said that she was surprised at how many people walked into the waiting room from the start of school.
But besides treating people for illnesses, Walter also takes the time to hold orientation sessions and has an open-door policy for any student who wants to talk to her as a friend or counselor.
"I've had some situations where student thoughts have promoted changes," she said. "I love dealing with students on a daily basis and I think I get to see a different side of them than the staff, especially when they just want to come in and talk."
She has held informal programs at residence halls to discuss topics such as alcohol, drugs and stress. She also hopes to increase nutritional awareness among students by working with community vendors and the university's physical education department this fall.
"I'm trying to establish an awareness program that doesn't preach but rather helps students decide when and if to make certain decisions. We want to give them the skills to say no," Walter said. "For me, alcohol on campus will remain a concern forever."
Hershey added that in the past year, more people who came to the Virginia Tech and Montgomery County testing clinics used the term "date rape" in describing their predicaments.
"We're seeing more and more people mentioning behavior patterns occurring with alcohol and drug use," Hershey said. "It sounds like people are not as knowledgable about alcohol and drugs as they should be."
Radford University's Women's Health Center was an answer partly to the growing concern about sexually transmitted diseases and to the 57 percent of female students at Radford. Walter's next project is to get accreditation for the health services. There are about 50 colleges and universities in the nation that have accredited health services - Virginia Tech is one of them.
Walter joined Radford after the university signed a contract with Connecticut-based Collegiate Health Care, a private company that manages the health centers of 16 other colleges and universities. The transition was the result of Radford students giving the former university-run health services a D-minus rating after a yearlong study in 1994. Walter hopes to eventually boost the grade up to a B-plus.
"I'm very pleased with the decision I made in coming here," she said. "The staff and students have made it all worthwhile."
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Walterby CNB