University of Denver Student Health and Counseling Center (HCC) Records

Collection

Identifier: U164

Staff Only

Abstract

The University of Denver Student Health Service began in October 1945 with the appointment of Dr. Frank O. Robertson as the first full-time Health Director for the university. The first Health Service building opened on April 7, 1947 in a war-surplus building at 2040 South Josephine Street. The collection contains administrative files, correspondence, clippings, and reports from the Student Health Service, mostly from the 1960’s through the 1980’s. Included are two large Student Health Service manuals from 1967 and 1973, each with historical overviews of the service written by the Director at the time.

Dates

1945-2010

Creator

University of Denver (Organization)

Biographical / Historical

The University of Denver Student Health Service was established in October 1945, with Dr. Frank O. Robertson appointed as the first full-time Health Director. Formally managed within Student Personnel (Student Affairs), the service was expanded in April 1946 with the addition of psychiatrist Dr. Lewis Barbato as Assistant Director to develop a mental hygiene program. In 1947, the Student Health Service moved into a war-surplus building at 2040 South Josephine Street—furnished almost entirely with surplus equipment—where it remained until January 1978, when it relocated to Centennial Hall.

Administrative, insurance, dental, and mental hygiene offices were originally housed in Templin Hall but consolidated at the Josephine Street location in 1954.

In fall 1948, the University of Denver’s Student Health Service introduced one of the nation’s earliest college health insurance programs for students.

By the late 1970s and 1980s, institutional records show a growing distinction between health services and counseling services. Student health centers focused on medical care and wellness, while counseling centers, under separate administration, provided mental health services.

In 1999, the Student Health Service relocated to the Richie Center and rebranded as the DU Student and Community Health Center. In 2005, it merged with Counseling and Behavioral Health, forming the Student Health and Counseling Center (HCC).

Student Health Services consistently operated under the purview of Student Affairs or Student Life administrative structures from its incorporation through present day, reflecting the institution’s ongoing responsibility for student medical care within the broader student support system.