U. assesses impacts of new UMCP

The new hospital will be located right across the border of Mercer County in Middlesex County, which is under the jurisdiction of a different police department and prosecutor’s office. The University is currently holding discussions with health and law enforcement officials over allowing students to travel to the new hospital location for sexual assault forensic investigations, known as rape kits, University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua said in an email.

The University is working with state and county health officials, rape crisis centers in both counties and the prosecutor’s offices, in addition to Womanspace — a nonprofit that provides services for victims of domestic and sexual violence — to “address concerns about protocols between the counties,” Mbugua said.

UMCP was certified to perform sexual assault examinations in 2005 and will continue doing so at its new location.

“University Medical Center of Princeton will continue to provide excellent care and service to all patients when it moves to its new location,” UMCP Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs Carol Norris-Smith said in an email. “There will be no change in the level of care provided to any victim of sexual assault.”

The University is also working to ease logistical concerns about how students referred from UHS will get to the new hospital. While the currently open UMCP is located within walking distance of campus, reaching the new hospital will require students to cross Route 1, a challenge without a car.

“I think the biggest issues for Princeton students will be accessing the hospital for both volunteering and non-emergency medical services,” Rebecca Thorsness ’13, vice president of evaluation on the Student Health Advisory Board, said. Thorsness added that the new hospital will be “inaccessible by walking and biking.”

Mbugua said that currently the plan is to have the Forrestal route on TigerTransit schedule include an additional stop at the new hospital. At the moment, the Forrestal route passes directly in front of the new UMCPP on Route 1, with a bus running once every hour from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The University and UMCP are committed to ensuring a smooth transition, and discussions are ongoing to address move-related matters,” Mbugua said.

Princeton HealthCare System spokesperson Andy Williams has said that the hospital is working with other organizations to shorten the transportation time from the University to the new hospital. The addition of a new lane on Harrison Street will make it easier for more vehicles to turn left onto Route 1, and emergency vehicles will have direct access to the emergency room through a driveway reserved for them.

The hospital’s new location may pose a problem for student volunteers. The Student Volunteer Council currently has arrangements with UMCP to send student volunteers to work with health care professionals, and these arrangements will carry over to the new UMCPP.

The move may also affect students in need of non-emergency medical services. Thorsness explained that UHS refers students to the hospital for a variety of medical services including advanced imaging, GI doctors, cardiology and pulmonology doctors and surgical services, among others. She added that some students sidestep UHS altogether and seek medical providers in the community, many of whom are associated with the hospital.