<p>Well, my son woke up a bit under the weather and I knew that he would require some medication. Health Center at the college is closed from Friday late afternoon until Monday morning. This meant a trip off campus because waiting until Monday morning was not in my at all in my son’s best interest. It also meant finding a doctor who would participate with our insurance plan, on a Sunday, and who would have a slot open on short notice to take a new patient, and one not too far away (son had to take a cab to get there). It also meant quite a few phone calls with questions about our insurance, figuring out what a referring physician and a primary physician means, and his eyes were now opened up as far as copayments at the doctor’s office and at a pharmacy. The entire production took 5 hours without a car! I felt so badly for him so I sent him a little care package! I am also going to pay him back for the cabs, and the copays.</p>
<p>I would recommend that tomorrow’s parents check to see the hours of the college’s health care center before applying. The main reason that colleges have started closing their health centers on weekends is the difficulty of finding physicians and insurers willing to accept the risk of the weekend binge drinking.</p>
<p>This is something that should factor into college selection. It’s pretty basic.</p>
<p>And first week on campus a student and parent should research the availability of walk-in clinics and after hours health facilities and practitioners for when there is an illness between Fri pm and Mon AM. Best to have a plan and not need it than have an illness and no plan. Especially given HMO’s and PPO’s and participating practitioners, especially when one is out of state.</p>
<p>interesteddad, I did not know that was the reason. I knew that they did not have “hours” but I thought there would be some provision for acute care beyond instructions about calling 911 or some other number for psychological emergencies. </p>
<p>I have a friend who told me that her DD became ill on a Friday night. She was a freshman at the time and was in school for about a month (at the most). The DD called her mother in tears because the health center was closed and she knew she needed medical attention and did not know what to do. The mother called the campus police and they drove her DD to the ER (ER was not necessary, but the only solution). I had my son ask the campus police if they would drive him to the doctor today (different campus), but they said that they would not do so. I understand that they are not a taxi service, but I had the expectation that they would provide or send him to the place that would provide a campus van for such a situation. He was looking for a ride to a doctor because he was ill, not a ride to the local fast food restaurant. Nope, nothing provided through the school. My kid took a cab. He survived, but I would have liked a campus van to have been there.</p>
<p>sunnyflorida, I cross posted with you. I agree. I really did not worry because I knew that there was a hospital within 2 miles. That is not good enough. In a pinch my son could have gone there, but it is abusing the system. </p>
<p>Fortunately my son had a good experience with this type of “walk in clinic” today, and now he knows where he can go if he has this type of problem again. Additionally, the health center at my son’s school charged my son for the flu shot ($25). If he had waited until today, he would have gotten it without an extra charge because our PPO covers this. The health care center would not submit the bill to our insurance carrier EVEN THOUGH the MD on call for them is IN NETWORK through our plan!! Very annoying to me!</p>
<p>northeastmom-just curious-are you paying any type of fee to the University for student health care services? If so, I would be in touch with the student health center at your student’s school and ask specifically what the fee covers, esp considering the weekend scenario you have just encountered.</p>
<p>Hopefully, there are other parents out there that are reading your post and will investigate how student health operates on their students’ campuses.</p>
<p>notre dame, that is an EXCELLENT point that you made. I did not even think of that because we did waive their health insurance (now glad that I did) and I saved about $600 in premiums. We are covered with same insurance company for out of state illnesses as the company that the school insurance plan is using. Our family plan, however, is far better (much more coverage) than the insurance plan available through the school.</p>
<p>northeastmom, I’m so sorry to hear that you and your son had to jump through hoops to get him to a doctor. Hopefully, all is well now.</p>
<p>My son’s health center is open 7 days a week. Sat. and Sun. hours are shortened–12-5pm.
They also have numbers available on their website to call in case a student needs medical care after hours. They are also advised that they can contact their RA or campus security. </p>
<p>There was one time when the physician at Health Services felt my son needed to go to the ER and be seen by a specialist (his tonsils hemorrhaged, yuk). She actually called us to explain the situation before heading off to the ER. She accompanied him to the ER (hospital is right across the street from the campus) and they were driven there by campus security. She checked him into the ER, spoke with the Triage nurse, and suggested that he be seen by an ENT as well as the ER doctor. Once he was settled, she gave my son the telephone number for campus security and told him to call when he was ready to be driven back to campus. Then, she headed back to campus to continue her shift at the campus health center. After my son was seen by the ER doctor and an ENT doctor, he called campus security. They picked him up and drove him back to campus. </p>
<p>Northeastmom, I hope your son feels better soon.</p>
<p>By all means parents should learn about health center services and hours, and the availability of walk in and hospital facilities nearby just in case of an emergency during off hours. Our story is that, in early Nov of D’s freshman year, she was having stomach pains all day Friday and finally decided she might have appendicitis. Health center closed all weekend, and the nearby walk in clinic closed by 9 or 10. Being a freshman, she knew no one with a car. Luckily, we were visiting about an hour away, so we rushed to campus and the emergency room (the clerk in the 24 hr drugstore gave us horrible directions; a 10 minute trip took an hour). Her appendix was out by 3 in the morning. I wish I had known more about the limitations of college care, but at least this story had a good ending.</p>
<p>nysmile, thanks. Fortunately he does have the type of illness that just drains you. </p>
<p>I really like the sound of how the health center took care of your son. Very impressed! My son is not nearly as ill, but needed some kind of medical treatment. I just think that when he went to the campus police, that they would have said that they cannot drive him, but at least pointed him in some direction for a ride. It would have been helpful. I think that he was a little depressed having been left to fend for himself, but he dealt with it well enough. I guess that I should have suggested that he contact his RA after he did not get help from the campus police, but I just did not think of it at the moment. I was in such a rush to just help in get in somewhere. </p>
<p>Thanks for the good wishes!</p>
<p>smdur, I cross posted with you, so glad that it worked out for your DD! My son did not have anything like your situation (much more minor), for which I am grateful!</p>
<p>northeastmom, Suggest to your son that he store a few numbers to taxi services in his cell phone contact list. You don’t want him to find himself stranded in an emergency. Actually, this was one of the things I nagged my sons to do.</p>
<p>This was on the back burner of things to nag my son my about doing ;). Now he has one cab company number in his phone since he just called them twice today, and they were reliable!
After this all blew over and he was calmer (he was frazzled today), I told him that he will need a cab to get to and from the airport for Thanksgiving break too. This school does not have buses to and from the airport as far as I know, but the airport is close to the school (if it weren’t, he would not be a student there).</p>
<p>During budget shortfalls, student services are always the first to be cut, and weekend and evening services are cut first. As parents, you can let the administration know that you want these services to have a higher priority in funding considerations.</p>
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<p>Yep. Williams had always had 24/7 health center coverage until about five years ago. The physicians’ practice that contracts with the college said that they had seen enough of the alcohol poisoning (Williams had 50+ transports to the emergency room that semester), that in their opinion it was just a matter of time until somebody died, and that their doctors no longer wanted any responsibility for nights and weekends. The college asked if they could pay extra for supplemental liability coverage and the doctors said that there was no amount of money that would make them continue to be involved on nights and weekends. The Health Center started closing evenings and weekends and continues with the limited hours today. Alcohol poisonings are now handled by calling an ambulance for a transport to the regional emergency room. There’s been at least one Saturday night where the town had to call in backup ambulances from neighboring towns to handle the calls.</p>
<p>It’s not a huge cost to keep a health center open. I mean, at many schools, it’s one nurse practictioner working a night shift. You’re looking for pretty basic levels of care: evaluate, minor treatment, arrange transport for something more serious.</p>
<p>The one time my daughter got sick in college, I was sure happy to have 24/7 infirmary care. She had an intestinal flu bug. They put her in bed for two nights, with a TV to watch, and fed her chicken soup, ginger ale, and crackers – just like mom. You don’t want a kid with an intenstinal flu bug in the dorm. That’s not in anybody’s best interest, really.</p>
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<p>Exactly. I was thinking after this experience that if a kiddo did not have the cash for a cab, or decided to wait until Monday morning, they are spreading their illness all through the campus (they are in dining halls, bathrooms, even if they spend most of their time in bed). They have not been diagnosed yet, so they don’t even know what illness they are spreading through a campus.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the very valuable reminder. As parent of a someone who needs easy medical access, this is another important reason for us to stay north (in addition to the extra $150k for COA). </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, one of the best diagnoses I ever got was through the student clinic at my US school, and there are things we just can’t get up here in terms of particular college features. But this is one feature we can gladly live without!</p>
<p>The summer before my daughter left for school, I spent a half-day on-line and on the phone investigating both the college health center as well as determining the nearest doctor that participated in our health plan. I called the doctor’s office to get as much information as I could about getting my daughter in to see a doctor if she became ill, as a new patient. It made me feel much better about leaving her so far away from home.</p>
<p>We’ve also been quite fortunate in that we’ve made good contacts with locals. During all of our trips to move in/move out and Parents’ Weekend, we’ve stayed at the same hotel and become friendly with the concierge. He looked our daughter in the eyes and said “Now, if you need ANYTHING…even if your parents aren’t here…you come and see me and I’ll help.”</p>
<p>In addition, we found a local taxi driver and used his services a few times…wonderful gentleman and well-known by the concierge and others at the hotel as a man of good character. He gave us his business card for our daughter, and said “Now, no matter the time or place, if she needs a ride just call and I’ll come. Even if she doesn’t have the money…you can send it to me after.”</p>
<p>Needless to say both have been tipped generously for their offers of kindness.</p>
<p>I was not that concerned with the health center at the school son attends because I knew that he would not be in an isolated area. At some of the rural schools I took more time to investigate hours and transportation services if something further would be needed.</p>
<p>Honestly, I thought that my son would be a bit more relaxed about getting a cab and seeing a doctor and going to a pharmacy on his own if he needed medical attention (and he was not feeling lousy). It really made me realize that he still needs help from someone older, like his parents ;)</p>
<p>At the end of the day, this was a good experience for my kid, he grew up a bit more, but I do wish that he would have gotten some advice from the campus police when he approached them. I did ask him if he could have gotten help from his RA and I don’t know why we did not think about asking the RA. He did tell me that his RA is very nice and he believes that the RA would have driven him to a doctor had he asked (NOT in the job description, so this would not have been required of the RA). </p>
<p>Well, now that he has gone through this, he knows what to do, where he can go, etc., should he become more seriously ill, but somthing short of requiring a hospital.</p>
<p>Sorry that happened but glad it turned out OK,NSM. Chalk it all up to another college learning experience and one more step toward independence.
S1’s car died in the middle of campus on the first day of class his freshman yr. He had to ask people to help push it off the road. Then had to find a towing company in the city that would tow it to a dealership for service. Then had to take a cab to pick it up the next week…all on his first day of college! Things like that force them to learn to handle things on their own. S1 did use the Health Center quite a bit during his four years of college.</p>
<p>Just checked the hours for the Health Center at S2’s college (never thought to look before but he is a jr. with a car). They have reg. busines hours M-F and weekend hours 9:30-11:30 a.m. There is an after hours number to call that gets them a nurse who will give advice.</p>