News release
When the 2024 spring semester begins for students at California Institute of the Arts, it will also be the beginning of another year of nearly two decades of health care services provided by Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers at the CalArts Student Health Center, according to a news release from the Dixon center.
What started out in the early 2000s as a service to provide exams for specific sexual health matters for female students age 25 and under has expanded significantly through the years to now include comprehensive health care for all students who visit the Student Health Center on the CalArts campus, the release said.
“Thanks to Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, our services now include general preventative care, treatment for illnesses and injuries, reproductive health care, laboratory services, immunization clinics and referrals to specialty providers,” Elizabeth Peisner, CalArts’ associate vice president of student affairs, said in the release. “These services are available right here on our campus to help our students thrive and continue their academic and artistic ventures while actively engaging in their wellness journey. We are grateful to Samuel Dixon Family Health Center and look forward to many more years of a healthy and prosperous relationship.”
Twice a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center sends Family Nurse Practitioner Katrina Diehl to CalArts to provide care to all students who walk through the doors of the Student Health Center.
Diehl addresses issues that may range from an ailment or injury requiring first aid care, reproductive health care through the Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (FamPACT) program, or a thorough physical examination that may require any necessary bloodwork and/or laboratory services.
“We cherish our partnership with CalArts for allowing us the privilege to provide vital health care services to all students and to ensure that they are connected to specialists when needed,” Dixon CEO Philip Solomon said in the release. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, our response to provide both flu and COVID vaccinations to the students and faculty was a demonstration of our commitment to keeping the CalArts campus safe and healthy.”
Serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1980, the nonprofit Samuel Dixon Center offers primary health care services, behavioral health, dental, health care enrollment, and a certified diabetes prevention program through its four locations in Val Verde, Canyon Country, Newhall and Valencia. More information is available at www.sdfhc.org.
