The Wholeness Center has appointed Aleq McMullin as Principia College’s new Care Coordinator. This position is new to the campus, and he was only hired four weeks ago, halfway through the semester.
Sandy Pellerano, the Director of the Wholeness Program was involved in this decision.
“The Care Coordinator position exists to help transport students to off-campus medical appointments, and it arose because of a growing need in our student body. ” Pellerano said. She believes this position helps “support students who would like to have another treatment choice other than Christian Science care as of course, we have our lovely Cox Cottage facility but not all the students are Christian Scientists and might choose a medical route.” She also said, “This position is really to supplement our telehouse service we already have where students can speak to a medical provider within 10 minutes.”
Aleq McMullin, the new Care Coordinator, likes that he can interact with the students more. He has been helping out the baseball team for a couple of years as an assistant coach and has been connected to the Principia community since high school as he went to Principia Upper School and Prin College.
“I have realized in the last couple of years,” McMullin said, “that I enjoy helping people and being able to be a resource to people when they need help.” When he was here as a student, “Besides my coaches, there wasn’t somebody that I was close with that I could go to if I had a need or a concern, and being in this position that interacts with students makes it more relatable since if you have a need it is easier to ask someone you have seen around campus for help.” He wants to be a resource for the students and help them feel more comfortable about navigating medical decisions whether it is an emergency or a process.
“Most medical issues that come up are related to sports and injuries,” McMullin said, “ I know how terrifying and unnerving it is to have something happening and not knowing exactly what is going on but having an understanding of that situation, I would like to be able to help calm people down before they know what is going on so there is less uncertainty and stress before they figure everything out.”
“We were searching for someone who was very punctual, approachable, and easy to get along with for students,” Pellerano said. “Someone who is detail-oriented because the part is this position is not just driving the students but it’s also managing the database for Magnus Health, which is how we keep track of health insurance information, immunization records, and everything required by the department of state and keeping track of scheduling with students… and Aleq was the perfect fit.” She also said, “His passion for the Principia community was very evident and he is a grounded individual, you can throw a lot at him, and he is very patient and brings a calming presence to those around him.”
“As we gather data and see when students are requesting appointments, we may end up making different shifts in the day to accommodate,” Pellerano said, “I just want to make sure students are aware that they need to fill out a form with 24 hours notice so he has time to coordinate the ride with the student. If it is an urgent need, over the weekend, ask an RC, or a friend with a car…Aleq can help with that but typically he’s gonna work during business hours.”
The care coordinator’s office is in Hay House, in room 102-A. His business hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on work days, and his office number is (618) 374-5538. Information about this has been published all around campus with sign-up fliers and messages from Watercooler to ensure students are aware of this service.
