Improving Healthcare Access Among Hunter College Students – Suggestions for a Hunter College Student Health Center

This study investigates disparities in healthcare access among students at CUNY Hunter College, an urban public university in Manhattan serving over 22,000 students. 89% of Hunter students receive financial aid, with 67% of students receiving Pell grants. Hunter College only offers limited health services, primarily short-term mental health counseling and wellness workshops. A cross-sectional survey (n = 33) assessed insurance status, coverage (dental, vision, psychiatric), access barriers (e.g., transportation), mental health symptoms, and impacts to academia. While 69.7% of respondents reported comprehensive insurance, students with public insurance (Medicaid, Medicare) experienced substantially higher access barriers than those with employer-sponsored plans and plans through their parents/guardians, though findings did not reach statistical significance (χ² = 5.86, p = .119). Unlike peer institutions such as New York University and Columbia University, which provide full-service student health centers offering primary and specialty care, STI testing and treatment, comprehensive behavioral health services (including psychiatry), and on-campus pharmacy services at no additional cost, Hunter College does not have these essential services. These findings show the need to establish a comprehensive student health center at Hunter, which would offer comprehensive primary care, behavioral health, sexual health services, OB/GYN care, and health education, staffed by the Hunter College community to strengthen care delivery and promote health equity across CUNY.