Dr. Davis Smith, Wesleyan’s medical director, will be holding an informal Q&A session about H1N1 flu.

Whether you want to know how to avoid getting it, how to treat it if you do, or what’s up with vaccine distribution, bring your own lunch and your questions!

Date: Monday, October 5

Time: Noon – 1pm

Location: Usdan 110

Come on down!

photo taken by Olivia Bartlett Drake

~ Sir Winston Churchill

or view it here, if the embedded video is not working.

Don’t forget about Wesleyan’s seasonal flu vaccine clinics, coming up next week!

America, we need to wake up! A prescription written on a pad by a doctor does not equal safe. When prescribed responsibly, taken as directed and kept out of reach of children, painkillers, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds — any pill — can be a godsend to the people who need those drugs to live day-to-day. But all too often, those tablets intended for one particular patient get into the hands, the mouths, the bloodstreams of those just looking to get high.

In my new book, “iWant,” I talk about my addiction to alcohol. Before I got sober, I would occasionally take a Valium with a glass of wine. Alcohol was my main vice. I wasn’t a pill addict, but I did pop a few. Want to know how I got them? Well it wasn’t from a doctor. I got them from friends. That’s how it works….

So how do we even start to cure this epidemic? First and foremost we need to stop expecting to get a pill for every ache and pain we complain to our doctors about. Addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky pointed out recently on my show, “Issues,” that, “The medicines we have today are miraculous. They are spectacularly effective. Thank goodness we have these substances. Only because there’s a dark side to this, we have to become less dependent on them and seek them less.”

Click here to read the whole piece. It’s eye opening and thought-provoking.

Monday, September 21
12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Usdan University Center – room 108
$37 (cash, check, or bill to student account)

Wednesday, September 23
12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Usdan University Center – room 108
$37 (cash, check, or bill to student account)

Tuesday, October 13
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Usdan University Center – room 108
$37 (cash, check, or bill to student account)

For faster service the day of the clinic, please print off and complete the Influenza Immunization Permission sheet and bring with you to the clinic. Copies will also be available at the clinic site. Registration is not required. Please wear a short sleeve shirt for ease of access to your arm.

More information is available at http://www.wesleyan.edu/healthservices/ofnote/flu04.html

The Office of Public Safety, in conjunction with WesWELL, the Dean of Students Office and Res Life will be holding four Severe Intoxication Panels designed to help students understand the best course of action to take for a friend that can not make an informed decision due to their impairment.

The representatives on the panel will speak about the issues from their perspective.  The panel discussion will give you a chance to have questions about alcohol policies and procedures answered.  You will learn what the signs of severe intoxication are, what Public Safety will do when responding to a call for help, what the Dean of Students Office will do when a student is referred to them after being treated for intoxication and more.

The panels will be held on the following dates and times:

All students are welcome to attend any of these panels. We would look forward to seeing you and speaking with you about this very important issue.

Click here to learn about the dates and procedures for the student flu vaccine clinic.

Please feel free to stop by our office on the second floor of the Davison Health Center for a visit or browse through our extensive website at www.wesleyan.edu/weswell.

The Peer Health Advocates, WesWELL’s peer education group, will be visible with educational programming in the residence halls and across campus in the coming weeks and throughout the year. If you wish to get involved, we will be recruiting new members throughout the fall semester for our January training weekend. Or click over to the WesWELL website to learn more and fill out our online application.

We look forward to meeting you!