Well, this is in case I ever take a trip and come back with a “souvenir” I’d want to get rid of it quick without anyone knowing. After talking to two employees at Student Health, and a former patient there, I’m quite confident that my secrets will be safe.
What’s your name?
Sara.
Um – how long have you been working here?
Four point five months.
What do you do here?
I am one of the receptionists.
Have you ever seen anybody come in here with like a stab-wound or something?
Stab-wound, no. People who have cut themselves with knives accidentally, but that’s it.
Were they bleeding all over the place?
Some of the other receptionists have seen the profuse blood squirting everywhere, I have not.
Do they have to clean it up?
Do we have to clean up any blood? (asks co-worker)
Co-worker: No.
Have you ever seen anyone who looked they were in like the Nietzschean stages of like syphilis?
(laughs) No, not yet. It’s only four and half months so far but I’m looking to that day though.
That would be funny.
I’ve had people break down crying on me though for either medical or counseling.
Was it related to like sexual health?
Some of them.
That’s sad. Can you get syphilis from like sneezing on somebody?
I’m not a nurse so I can’t tell you.
Have you ever had someone like tell you what their symptoms were and they were really gross and you had to like barf or something?
(laughs) I’ve had to stop people a few times and I’ve been like ‘You know what, you gave me a few words, I really don’t need to know the whole story’ especially since we’re right out at the front and I don’t want them exposing their story to the person that’s sitting behind them. We try to maintain confidentiality as much as possible.
-Number 2-
What’s your name?
Jessica Harbottle.
What is it you do?
I’m basically the office manager although my title is Operations Supervisor.
How long have you worked here?
Six years.
And what does being an Operations Supervisor entail?
Basically I supervise the administrative staff and kind of oversee the general functioning, daily functioning of the center.
Do you do any like nursing work?
No.
So you don’t work with the patients or anything like that?
No, what I do with the students is conflicts, complaints or concerns, that’s my student interaction.
What’s the worst complaint that you’ve encountered? Or like the weirdest?
Um – it’s mainly just been kind of billing questions, about prescriptions and things like that nothing too severe.
Do you have a lot of like hypochondriacs come in here?
I wouldn’t be able to say.
So it’s just money concerns you work with?
Well, I mean everybody has a complaint about something or other in their life, that’s what I’m here to do I listen and – if they complain about something – I really don’t want to put complaints about our services into the newspaper if you know what I mean.
Ok.
And I’d like to move away from the negative and try to focus on the positive if that’s possible.
Um – Um – Hmm – I’m just, uh, kind of playing it by ear – uhm – has there anyone that you’ve seen like coming in here like bleeding or something?
Sure.
Who cleans that up?
Our nursing staff.
Oh, really?
Cleans up as far as it gets on to something, or – ?
Yeah, like gets on the carpet or something?
Well, PSU has a very good hazardous waste and bio-hazard crew that is very effective. They would take care of that and of course treating the patient would be the job of our nursing and medical staff.
Uh – okay – That’s enough for now.
You know your way out?
Yes, I’m fine.
Anonymous student
Have you ever been to the PSU health clinic?
Yes, twice.
Can you tell me what for?
No, I’d rather not say.
Don’t worry it’ll be anonymous.
NO! I don’t want to.
No one is not going to know who you are.
No, I don’t want you to know.
You don’t want me to know, it’s that embarrassing? It wasn’t syphilis was it?
I, um, I’m too embarrassed.
I’m gonna guess – um – ah – you –
Are you guys like a team? Who’s that guy with the camera? (motions to Chase Fulton, my photographer for the day)
No, it’s anonymous remember?
What’s the article for?
Why am I doing it? For fun. I mean I’m a journalist, I wanna know. I’m an enquiring mind. How prepared do you think the PSU campus is for like an outbreak of syphilis?
Pretty prepared. I don’t know, sorry I think you’re asking the wrong girl.
I trust you, I don’t think you’re bad, I don’t think anyone’s gonna think you’re bad because no one knows who you are.
What if I see you walking around and then I’ll be like that guy knows.
Yeah, I guess you don’t want me to know.
You have a nice jacket.
Why, thank you. Do you think my jacket looks sickly?
No.
It doesn’t? But it’s got like holes in it and stuff. If I took this jacket to the Portland State Health Office do you think they could do anything for it?
I don’t know, that’s a silly question.
It is, just give me an answer. What kind of medicine would they give my jacket? It’s sick.No, it’s not. It’s beautiful.
I think it’s quite diseased, I think it’s been sleeping around with other jackets. Are you going somewhere?
Yeah, I’m going, this is embarrassing.
Why is it embarrassing?
Because.
Because why?
Because it makes me nervous.
Why does it make you nervous?
Because I don’t like being on tape, I don’t like being photographed, I have issues with this. I don’t even know what your article is about so I can’t answer questions.
It’s about health at PSU and people getting sick and people dying! Don’t you care about people dying?!
I do. You have a good day.
But you’re walking away! You don’t care.
I have to go to my class.
Well, then go to your class!
OK, bye.
OK, bye.