This bill proposes extending the operating hours of the University Health Services Tang Center at UC Berkeley. The Tang Center's current hours of 8am-5pm on weekdays conflict with its mission to be accessible and responsive to the changing needs of the campus community. Extending hours would allow the Tang Center to serve students, faculty and staff in emergencies outside of current hours. The bill recommends the Tang Center be open 24/7 to treat medical emergencies at any time and reduce reliance on off-campus urgent care centers over a mile away. Extended hours could also create more on-campus jobs for students.

1. Fall
2014
A Bill in Support of Extending the University of California, Berkeley’s University Health
Services Tang Center’s Hours of Operation
Author
Jenisha Sabaratnam (Intern, Judicial Council & Office of the President: Perspectives)
Sponsor
Madison Gordon (Senator, ASUC), Melissa Hsu (Senator, ASUC), Yordanos Dejen (Senator,
ASUC), Austin Pritzkat (Senator, ASUC), Haley Broder (Senator, ASUC), Lavanya Jawaharlal
(Senator, ASUC), Dree Kavoussi (Senator, ASUC), Bo Nguyen (Senator, ASUC), Vinay
Ramesh (Senator, ASUC)
WHEREAS, the UHS Tang Center encompasses a vision to promote “[a] healthy campus
community that is an inspiring place to learn, work and live”1
, with claims to be responsive to
the needs of the greater UC Berkeley community, and,
WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan of the UHS Tang Center clearly states through its Mission
Statement, Core Values, and Strategic Directions:
1) “We are committed to providing programs and services that are…
physically… accessible and responsive to the changing needs of our
communities”;
2) “Develop a flexible health care model… [that] effectively serve[s] the needs
of a multicultural, diverse campus community”;
3) “…specializing in meeting the needs of students, faculty and staff”;
4) “Establish a campus culture that prioritizes health and wellbeing by using
collaborative and community-based strategies”2
, and,
WHEREAS, the current operating hours of the UHS Tang Center conflict with its stated
position of being accessible to the UC Berkeley community at times of need, implying that the
necessity of this facility’s resources and services could be demanded by such community during
any time of the day, and,
1 & 2
http://uhs.berkeley.edu/strategicplan/index.shtml

2. Fall
2014
WHEREAS, the correlation between the UHS Tang Center’s current operating hours, that of
8am to 5pm Monday through Friday2
, coinciding with the hours of the average working and/or
schooling day creates implications for the UC Berkeley community to use the Tang Center’s
facilities after their typical day has ended, and,
WHEREAS, in the event of an emergency, the UHS Tang Center Urgent Care will not be able
to provide assistance outside of its operating hours of 8:30am to 6pm Monday through Friday,
and 9am to 12:30pm & 1pm to 5pm on Saturday4
, and,
WHEREAS, students, faculty and staff in need of the UHS Tang Center, including both the
Urgent Care and the Pharmacy, on Sundays and Holidays, are unable to use it due to its closure
on these said days,5
and,
WHEREAS, in the event of an “urgent medical or mental health problem”, UC Berkeley
community members are asked to search for:
1) “…a local Urgent Care Center with extended hours”
2) “…a phone number for a crisis/suicide prevention hotline”
3) “…a local emergency room… [with] [t]he closet to campus… [being] Alta
Bates Hospital…” on Ashby Ave.6
WHEREAS, if such an emergency were to exist, these options provide no assistance or comfort
to any person involved in the incident, and instead would evoke further panic and anxiety upon
the person and situation at hand, and,
WHEREAS, in the case of extreme injury or harm, no such person would be able to make their
way to the given closet hospital, as it is located 1.5 miles away from the UC Berkeley campus,
and would take 29 minutes to reach by foot7
, and,
3, 4 & 5
http://uhs.berkeley.edu/home/hours/
6
http://uhs.berkeley.edu/home/hours/#afterhours
7
https://www.google.com/maps/
• Directions: FROM intersection of Bancroft Way & Telegraph Ave TO Ashby Ave, Berkeley, CA
94704

3. Fall
2014
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the ASUC encourages the UC Berkeley UHS Tang Center
to increase its hours of operation for the safety of the large community it serves, and to comply
with the primary vision it endorses, and,
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that more on-campus jobs will be created by
the increase in the UHS Tang Center hours, thus providing a greater number of UC Berkeley
students with the added availability of part-time work, and,
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the UHS Tang Center be available and
accessible to the UC Berkeley community for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as the occurrence
of an emergency is unexpected and therefore should be treated upon demand,
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Senators Madison Gordon, Melissa Hsu,
Yordanos Dejan and Austin Pritzkat will support and promote the importance of health resources
and services available to the wider community by advocating for such causes, collaborating with
the university, and raising awareness to the student body.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that President Pavan Upadhyayula
communicates with Chancellor Nicholas Dirks regarding the plan for the future operation of the
UHS Tang Center’s hours, and relaying to him the advantages and benefits it brings, along with
the many issues it resolves,
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the ASUC recognizes that the continuous
availability of the UC Berkeley UHS Tang Center will clearly support and assist a much greater
number of people, and will therefore comply with its intention of being responsive and
accessible to the UC Berkeley community.