The observation made by FACE 06 (Federation of Student Associations and Corporations of Alpes-Maritimes) was unequivocal at the start of the 2014 academic year: health, and particularly dental expenses, are one of the biggest financial problems students face.
Here is the solution: the Young Health Checkbook.
“The goal of this initiative is to make young adults autonomous and responsible for their health by allowing them to access free preventive consultations with the support of a healthcare professional,” announced Christian Estrosi, the deputy mayor of Nice.
This booklet will allow for three types of consultations: a dental consultation, which will make it possible to establish a diagnosis with the specialized doctor who will then refer the young person to a complementary health insurance suitable for their potential health problems, needs, and resources. The second, focused on vaccines and their boosters, is divided into three different vouchers depending on the type (polio, meningitis C, rubella, etc.). The last one is an invitation to a rapid HIV diagnostic orientation test accompanied by an address where free condoms can be obtained.
The Nice dental unions unanimously commend the measure
The Young Health Checkbook is aimed at all residents of Nice, aged 19 to 25, who do not have complementary health insurance and will be available from September 2015. The city council will take care to send a letter to the home of all young people eligible for this opportunity, who will just need to go to the Youth Listening and Support Center (PAEJ) to collect their checkbook. They will also find at these PAEJ centers contact persons who can help them formalize the procedures to subscribe to a complementary health insurance organization.
The Nice dental unions, all participating in the operation, have unanimously praised the measure, just like FACE 06 through its representative’s voice: “This initiative is bound to be rapidly effective; it promises a real improvement in the medical lives of the young residents of Nice concerned. For its full potential to be realized, we must now also work on prevention. It is the key to our fight, as long as all students do not know that they can take care of themselves properly, they will not do so.”
by Baptiste Meline
