Beginning Fall 2020, NGU opened on-campus healthcare for students, faculty, and staff. The clinic, staffed by Health Clinic Coordinator Helen Neely, is located at West Crain 111 (behind the athletic complex) and is open for in-clinic visits along with phone-first appointments. There is no additional charge to students or NGU employees for their clinic visits.
Neely's work is new to the northern Greenville county campus, but her family has a university legacy. Her husband's uncle, Dr. Thomas Lawton Neely, was the second president of the then North Greenville Junior College from 1962 until 1970.
"The job interested me because I am local to the area. My three children and son-in-law attended school at NGU, and I enjoy the college-age group," said Neely. "Additionally, I love the opportunity to minister to students.
Neely is an experienced registered nurse with a solid background working in acute, outpatient, and pediatric nursing environments. She comes to NGU from the Greenville County School District, where she managed all aspects of care in a 900-plus student middle school's health room since 2014. Before her work with Greenville County Schools, she served Prisma Health as an ICU staff nurse, pediatric specialty nurse, ICU charge nurse, and staff registered nurse. Neely also worked for the International Mission Board in Lusaka, Zambia as an overseas missionary nurse from 2003-2007.
"I look forward to meeting students and serving them. I consider nursing my mission as well as my vocation," said Neely.
Her life verse is Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord you are serving."
Neely says the Clinic also has a part-time Nurse Practitioner, Eunice Parajon, who can write lab work orders, diagnose illnesses, and prescribe medication.
Services at the Clinic include treating minor illnesses/injuries, lab orders, medication prescriptions, and wellness education. Neely says the Clinic will facilitate more health initiatives in the future, such as a flu clinic, mobile mammography, and blood drives. The Clinic will also house NGU counseling services staffed with certified counselors.
Vice President for Campus Ministries and Student Engagement Jody Jennings said, "Many of our students do not have a primary physician in the area, and finding one in a timely fashion can be difficult."
Jennings says the Clinic will fill the need for routine, non-emergency medical care without requiring a copay or insurance.
"It is encouraging to see the University take an active role in the health and wellness of the community," he said.
Nurse Practitioner-led clinics are an innovative care model developed to respond to a primary care physician shortage and increase healthcare costs. Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced training, including completion of a master's or doctoral degree. Like primary care doctors, they can provide general wellness care for men, women, and children.
Students, faculty, and staff may arrange for an appointment by calling or texting the Clinic at 864-901-7487, five days a week. Clinic hours are:
Monday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. – noon
To learn more about NGU's health services, visit ngu.edu/health.