A personal welcome to students

We are glad that you chose Shorter University and we hope that you will utilize our services throughout your college career. Student Health Services (SHS), together with Student Support Services, which offers psychological and career counseling, as well as disability services, strives to facilitate the completion of your academic career at Shorter University by promoting healthy lifestyles and caring for your physical and psychological needs and concerns.

Student Health Services and Student Support Services share a suite on the second floor of Fitton Student Union (FSU). When you arrive on the second floor of FSU, turn left and follow the hallway for a short distance and you will see glass doors that lead into our reception area, Room 219. Our Administrative Assistant will warmly greet you and assist you with paperwork and scheduling. For your convenience, if you do not need to be examined, there is a self-care area in the reception room with basic supplies (band aids, cough drops, etc.). Another basic self-care area is outside the glass doors and is available 24/7.

Our Medical Director is Dr. F. Don Diego of Floyd Medical Center’s Family Practice Program. FMC’s Family Practice physicians provide compassionate medical services in the SHS clinic each Wednesday, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. The physicians write prescriptions and order x-rays and further tests for you when appropriate. Further tests, CT scans and MRIs are done off-campus at either of the two nearby local hospitals, one of the many local specialists’ offices, or at another facility of your choice. The physicians will discuss with you which facility is most appropriate for your care.

I’d like to introduce you to the rest of our SHS day-to-day staff. As your Director of Student Health Services, I am also a registered nurse. Through the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center and Children’s Advocacy Center, I am a sexual assault nurse examiner, and through the Georgia Dept. of Community Health, Division of Public Health, I am an HIV tester and counselor. Other SHS staffers are a part-time certified nursing assistant and three part-time student workers who are nursing majors. They are caring, friendly personnel who delight in helping SHS meet your needs in whatever manner is appropriate.

The clinic is open for walk-in patients on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Patients are seen on Tuesdays during the clinic hours 8:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. and 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. in order that staff and student workers may attend Chapel services at 11 a.m.

Your confidential information is protected under HIPAA and you may read more concerning this further on our web page. We take the matter of confidentiality very seriously and guard your privacy. Many of our services are free-of-charge, and others have a nominal charge. The services and costs are located on our web page.

The staff of Student Health Services and Student Support Services look forward to meeting and working with you to support a healthy campus community at Shorter University.

Mary Shotwell Smith, MA, BSN, RN, SANE
Director, Student Health Services