Student Health Services

Mission

The mission of Connecticut College Student Health Services is to promote health and wellness in the student body. Wellness denotes more than physical wellbeing; it incorporates psychological, spiritual and social components too. Wellness is not simply the absence of illness, it is choosing and implementing behaviors that enable one to optimally enjoy experiences by making informed lifestyle choices with regards to; self-care of episodic illness, a nutritious diet, physical fitness, safety, sleep, the absence of substance misuse, healthy relationships, effective stress management and effective communication of feelings and needs.

While interacting with local specialists, other campus departments, faculty, staff and families to promote wellness and remove barriers to appropriate care, Student Health Services staff provides accessible, affirming, equitable non-urgent/non-emergent care within an institution of higher education where students’ active participation in their own health care is emphasized. Our staff is committed to students’ health by teaching self-care and treatments to care for their bodies, minds, and spirits in an intentional and preventive manner in hopes each student can maximize their educational experience and achieve their highest potential.

HealthCare at Connecticut College

All enrolled, full-time students at Connecticut College have access to the primary care provided by our Student Health Services (SHS), regardless of the health insurance coverage they carry. Beginning in August 2020, Hartford HealthCare (HHC) became the provider for our student health and medical services in SHS and Sports Medicine.

Through this partnership, students have access to a network of more than 1,000 physicians and specialists offering expanded services, increased hours, and integrated care through a state-of-the-art electronic medical records system.

In SHS, we have a full complement of dedicated HHC personnel. These staff are able to call on the vast HHC network to refer students, when necessary, to local and regional specialists in a wide array of medical sub-disciplines. Athletic trainers and physicians from HHC serve our student-athletes, who are also able to call on specialists, including orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians, concussion experts, and cardiologists —along with sports neurology services at HHC’s Ayer Neuroscience Institute. Experts in sports nutrition, sports psychology, and athletic performance screening are available to coaches and students as well.

Most important for the spring, of course, when the College is investing additional resources to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19, our partnership with HHC will play an important role. Not only will HHC clinicians help us implement COVID-19 protocols, but our health services staff are able to confer with HHC leaders in infectious disease and prevention as we seek to maintain the health of our general population.

Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care is about 1 mile from campus and offers evening, weekend and holiday hours. Medical emergencies are referred to local emergency facilities and the College has professional staff and campus safety officers on campus 24 hours a day to ensure students are able to access needed medical attention.

Student Health Services maintains a stock of commonly used prescription medications available at wholesale cost to students. Medications not stocked in the clinic are ordered through a local Nutmeg Pharmacy pharmacy. They are delivered each weekday afternoon.

Break and After-Hours Health Care

Hours (during the academic year)

Day	Hours
Monday - Friday	8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday -Sunday	Closed

Services

We offer the following services: Urgent and primary care (including GYN) visits with nurse practitioners

Prescription delivery from a local pharmacy
Physicals for sports/travel/study abroad
Specialist referrals
Immunizations
Health promotion programs and information
Routine laboratory tests onsite; labs not processed here are sent to Quest Diagnostics outpatient lab and will be billed to your insurance
A limited number of common medications without added charge
Travel immunizations and information
LGBTQIA inclusive patient-centered care
HIV counseling and testing
Sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment
Contraceptive counseling with onsite options available
Emergency contraception (EC). For further information on EC you may look at www.not-2-late.com

*Students with private insurance may visit our web portal,https://connc.studenthealthportal.com, and follow these steps to print a receipt to submit to their carrier for any reimbursement:

Register for an account if you have not previously done so (an email will be sent to your Connecticut College email account with a temporary password)
Sign in
Click on Appointment Scheduling
Click on View Appointments
Click on Previous Appointments
Choose the appropriate receipt and print

Medical Excuse Policy

Health Services does not provide students with notes to take to their faculty confirming medical treatment. Issues of developmental, privacy and workload factors inform this policy. Students are responsible for providing faculty the grounds for the absences, and for conforming to the attendance requirements of particular courses. Students, like the rest of us, are protected from having medical information released without their permission. At the time of treatment, students are encouraged to email their professors regarding their absence and "cc" us in the note. That allows us to confirm the visit and speak to faculty if requested.

Students under treatment for health reasons outside of Student Health Services (SHS) may bring documentation to SHS to be submitted to their health record. This documentation will assist in the support SHS may offer to the dean regarding missed classes/work. FERPA / HIPAA privacy act

Privacy

SHS Notice of Privacy

Message of Support, Solidarity, and Coping Recommendations from

Student Counseling and Health Services

As stated in the message below, Student Counseling Services stands in solidarity with those at risk of racist violence, with those who take antiracist actions. We are committed to doing our part to support equity in the context of our role in the community. In light of the ongoing violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities - as adjunctive resources to those included in the message below we offer the following:

Resources to facilitate AAPI individuals’ wellness and resilience given the current context:

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association

Anti-racism Resources to Support Asian American, Pacific Islander Communities

Asian American Feminist Antibodies - Squarespace

Resources to facilitate learning about and witnessing of AAPI experiences in America:

Self Evident: Asian Americans’ Stories

5-Part PBS Docuseries: Asian Americans

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Stories

Resources to facilitate sustainable antiracist justice-oriented action:

How to Respond to Coronovrius Racism

Stop AAPI Hate Resource Guide

Hate Crime Reporting Portal from Asian Americans Advancing Justice

How to Talk to Parents about Race if You're Adopted or Multiracial

How to talk to your Asian immigrant Parents About Racism While Considering Their Lived Experiences

Be an Ally: How to Help Fight Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia

In keeping with the Institution's mission and values, we know that Connecticut College community members are compassionate, empowered, and actively engaged in the campus, local, and global communities. Given the aforementioned, we know that you may be feeling many things in response to the Nation’s most recent efforts to confront deeply institutionally embedded anti-Black racism. We stand in solidarity with those who are at risk of racist violence, with those who are taking action, and we are committed to doing our part to support equity in the context of our role in the community. As the Connecticut College community staff persons honored with tending to and advocating for students' mental and physical health at this time, we think it important to speak to the connection between inequity, the fight for justice, and mental health and wellbeing. We hope that the words and resources included in this communication will assist you in maintaining your wellness during this time.

Pervasive institutional racism and other manifestations of bigotry disproportionately impact marginalized communities; they are, as we are seeing at present (and have seen in the past), life-threatening. Systemic racism and injustice have a deleterious effect on the mental and physical health of both its targets and the larger society. These realities are painful and difficult to process and "sit with." Accordingly, we encourage you not to simply sit with them. We suggest that following a period of reflection, you work to actively confront these realities and honor your related emotions.

Confronting the reality of inequity and injustice and its impact on human lives is a part of the process of moving toward mental health and wellbeing for individuals, it is also a necessary means of creating societal change. We encourage Conn community members to stay aware of and to engage with these realities by pursuing accurate historic and current information. Additionally, we encourage taking related empowered actions to facilitate change. Know that change-oriented action comes in a variety of forms; for some, it may involve written or verbal communication either in small spheres of influence or public forums. Others may engage in protests aimed at legislative reform. All change-oriented action is meaningful and has the potential to serve as a valuable contribution. Regardless of the specific mode of action, change-oriented processes facilitate hope, understanding, agency, and connection with others. Hope, understanding, agency, and connection between people increase mental health and wellbeing. Notably, these (among other things) are factors that may serve to reduce the biases that underlie discriminatory actions against others; the very change targeted by the actions.

We know that there is an emotional and physical toll related to confronting reality, speaking truth to power, protesting, and working toward equity and justice. Accordingly, we offer the following recommendations related to engagement in that work: honor your limits by boundary setting, allow time and space for pauses and reflection, take breaks (or time away from the action) as needed, engage in life-affirming pleasurable activities in between work to confront and address inequity-related realities. The treatment of Black people and other marginalized communities in our Nation often fails to reflect an appreciation for and awareness of their humanity. Honoring the full humanity of others and yourself is at such times a radical act. Radical self-care is an integral part of sustainable work toward justice, surviving, and thriving during times of adversity. We urge Conn community members to couple change-focused engagement with radical self-care. Tend to your physical and mental health by engaging in regular practices of mindfulness, emotional processing, counseling support as necessary, and connections with others.

Although we are not open during the summer months, we offer the resources that follow this letter to the community at this time. We look forward to engaging again with you all in the fall. Until then, please stay well and take good care,

Your Student Counseling Services and Student Health Services Staff

Resources to support your sustainable engagement in change-oriented action:

Resources for coping with and confronting racism for Black individuals and communities (curated by the University Of Illinois)

Resources to facilitate antiracism (curated by the University Of Illinois)

Resources to facilitate ongoing efforts to coping with the global pandemic:

SCS COVID-19 Coping Resources