Ben Domingo is a man who vows to improve Health Services’ customer service, clinical care and community presence, as the program worked without a formal director for nearly two years.

‘We have to increase our reputation — or build it back — one patient at a time,’ Domingo said.

The search for a new director began in September 2009, when the former director took a job as the director of health services at Ohio State University. Domingo, a family nurse practitioner, said he applied for the job at Syracuse University in December 2010 and began working June 1.

Domingo served as the director of Morrisville State College’s Health Center for 10 years and has experience on multiple college campuses, including the University of Albany and Colgate University.

After a decade at Morrisville, where he educated staff and students on health and wellness topics and expanded services, Domingo said SU was the logical next step in the college health provider profession.

‘I felt like I left [Morrisville] in a better place, and that’s what I hope to do at Syracuse,’ he said.

At Morrisville, Domingo said he spent the majority of his time doing clinical visits with students and much less time working on the administrative side of things. At SU, those roles have reversed, he said, and now only about 25 percent of his schedule is dedicated to primary care.

Domingo said he enjoys his new position because he is able to take on other administrative challenges as well as continue seeing students on a regular basis. As director, Domingo is able to write policy, join the alcohol and drug committee and work with student outreach, which he was unable to do at Morrisville.

‘There’s a lot that goes into this position. You’re part politician, part business person and part medical provider,’ he said. ‘There’s all these different hats that you have to wear.’

The transition to SU was smooth, Domingo said, albeit a big change from Morrisville, which has approximately 3,500 undergraduates. Domingo said he supervised a staff of seven before, but now he leads a staff of 44 at SU.

In some ways, Domingo said Morrisville better prepared him for the promotion than a big university would have because he was forced to play many roles — interacting with local EMS and the county health department, much like he does now.

Rebecca Dayton, associate vice president of student affairs for health and wellness, said Domingo ‘went into this transition with his eyes open.’

Dayton, who hired Domingo and now acts as his supervisor, said one quality that stood out about him was that he was extremely passionate. He was also personable and relatable to staff and students, she said.

‘I wanted to find the right person with the right fit. I didn’t want to settle, and he is exactly what we were looking for,’ Dayton said.

Domingo said he hopes to make a positive change at SU by starting with the basics: providing medical care, improving customer service and making sure the clinic runs smoothly.

One way to improve customer service, Domingo said, is for the staff to become more sympathetic to students, even if they didn’t do everything they were supposed to.

Domingo said that before his arrival the rules were very rigid and not as accommodating to students as he would have liked. Domingo urges his staff to pretend they are treating their own children — meaning they won’t turn students away if they come in five minutes before closing and need to see someone.

‘We want to function more like a family restaurant than an Applebee’s,’ he said.

Dayton said Domingo has been energetic so far and has already put in proposals about what he wants to change and improve.

‘His thinking cap is already on; he’s already got some very great ideas and an incredible amount of energy to want to move them forward,’ she said.

Another goal of Domingo’s is to lower student costs while still expanding services. The department shouldn’t have to choose one or the other, he said.

Health Services is a better option than the hospital for a nonemergency, in terms of wait times, cost and efficiency, Domingo said. The student health fee covers these services, and he isn’t sure students realize that, he said.

Domingo has worked to increase student awareness through promotion. Health Services has formed a marketing committee, redesigned its website and updated its Twitter and Facebook pages, he said.

Chris Jennison, a senior public relations and policy studies major and a field supervisor for SU Ambulance, said he and other students were brought in on several occasions to provide student feedback during the director search.

Jennison said Domingo values student input tremendously.

‘We gave him recommendations based on our call data in terms of how to rework the MTS system, and he asks us for regular input on other matters as well,’ he said.

Domingo said employees should be rewarded based on merit, which should motivate people to become more active at work.

He also tries to act as a role model by being a part of the weekend and night work rotations, just like the rest of the staff, Domingo said.

But Domingo said all these changes won’t happen right away. It may take seven years to regain the trust of the students, staff and faculty, but he said he’s willing to put in the time.

‘You feel alive when you’re challenged,’ Domingo said. ‘I think it’s nice to have a healthy fear that you need to prove yourself.’

egsawyer@syr.edu

Published on September 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Liz: egsawyer@syr.edu | @3sawyer