Henderson Community College is increasing support for students facing personal challenges that might have been intensified by the emotional and physical stress of the year-long COVID-19 pandemic.
The college has opened a new one-stop center offering support for issues that could prevent academic success.
The HCC Care Centermay be small in size, but it offers students connections to a big range of community services.
Career Services Coordinator Angie Watson said the HCC Care Center can help with a wide range of issues.
“Substance disorders, domestic violence, housing issues, mental and physical issues that they may be facing," said Watson. "We’ve got some great mental health facilities that can assist them and offer crisis counseling.”
The HCC Care Center has personal hygiene items and non-perishable foods, and can direct students to campus resources like the writing center or tutoring if they need help with academics.
“It was really, really rough," Watson said about the increased challenges brought on by the pandemic. "Hopefully through the HCC Care Center, you know, we’ll be able to have, as they’re coming to pick up some items, maybe having that conversation of, you know, are there other things that are going on that we might be able refer or help you in some way.”
Watson says some of the many issues faced by students during the pandemic include the closing of child care centers and unreliable internet access at home, which led to some students not finishing last year’s spring semester.
