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New Students

April 2020

Dear New Student,

Welcome to Swarthmore College. I am delighted to have you as a member of the Swarthmore community.

The health and wellness team supports the needs of our diverse student body by providing individualized holistic care and campus-wide education. The Health & Wellness Center offers myriad wellness promotion, counseling, acute care, and prevention services.

Students may walk-in for a health evaluation by a registered nurse.  Nurse practitioners, physicians, dietitian, alcohol and other drug counselor, violence prevention educator and advocate, and therapy dog are available by appointment. Our physicians are members of the Crozer Health System, a full-service teaching hospital and trauma center. The Health & Wellness Center provides acute care, alcohol and other drug counseling, health and wellness promotion, nutrition counseling, violence prevention services, interpersonal relationship education, allergy injections, first aid treatment, reproductive health services, simple diagnostic screenings, travel health consultations, vaccinations, and wellness visits.  Our operational hours are based on when the need is highest, and are supplemented by an after-hours on call system that provides students with access to a registered nurse.

All visits to the Health & Wellness Center are free of cost.  A nominal fee is applied for simple diagnostic tests and most medications dispensed at the Health & Wellness Center.  Laboratory specimens are sent to LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics and are billed by the lab to the student’s health insurance.

The Swarthmore College Student Health Portal is available for managing your on-campus health needs and forms.  You can access your Student Health Portal through your mySwarthmore account.  Click on Worth Health Center, then, click on Student Health Portal.  The following forms are on the Student Health Portal.  Completion is due by June15th and necessary to be eligible for a new student housing assignment and access to roommate information.  

  1. Health Certificate completed by student online in the Student Health Portal

  2. All students are enrolled by default in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).  To waive out of the SHIP:  Log into mySwarthmore<Click Worth Health Center<Click Health Insurance Waiver

  3. Immunization Record completed by healthcare provider (print, complete, enter immunization dates in portal, upload to portal and mail)
  4. Tuberculosis (TB) Screening Questionnaire completed by healthcare provider (print, complete, upload to portal and mail)
  5. Physical within the past year completed by healthcare provider (print, complete, upload to portal and mail)
Please mail completed forms 3, 4 and 5 to:
Swarthmore College Student Health & Wellness
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore, PA  19081
 
All students must be adequately immunized according to Pennsylvania state requirements.  The College cannot assign you housing in the campus residence halls without these requirements being met.
 
Meningococcal vaccine (MenACYW).  One dose is required at age 16 or older.
Varicella vaccine.  Two doses or healthcare provider documentation of proof of Chicken Pox disease (date) is required.
MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella).  Two doses are required at least 28 days apart after 12 months of age.
Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis.  Four doses and tetanus booster within the last ten years is required.
Hepatitis B vaccine.  Three doses or two doses of adult vaccine, or a positive Hepatitis B surface antibody is required.
Polio.  Three doses of oral or four doses of injectable vaccine are required.
Hepatitis A.  Two doses are recommended
Meningitis B.  Series completion is recommended in consultation with your healthcare provider.
Unvaccinated students must complete a waiver form. (located in your student health portal under forms)
 
Tuberculosis screening is required for all students. 
Tuberculin skin testing is required for students who might be at risk.  
Guidelines are based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control.
 

Health insurance is required for all Swarthmore students. Please read the Important Annual Health Insurance Requirement information carefully. If you are insured by another plan, please be certain that your private health insurance plan will adequately cover a student away from home. Services away from home, such as blood tests, MRI’s, x-rays, and care from specialists are often not covered under a private insurance plan. 

The full amount of the student health insurance plan premium will be charged to your tuition bill if you do not complete the online waiver process by August 1, 2020.  Failure to comply with this deadline will result in automatic enrollment into the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).  This fee will be added to the first tuition bill.

I invite you to stop by and visit your health and wellness team. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at health@swarthmore.edu regarding any questions you may have about this information or if the Health & Wellness Center can be of assistance in managing a health concern.
You can also learn more at www.swarthmore.edu/student-health.  
 
Warm regards,
 
 
Casey Anderson, RN, MSN, CRNP
Interim Director, Student Health & Wellness Center
 
CONTACT US
Student Health & Wellness Center
Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081
Phone: 610-328-8058
Fax: 610-690-5724
After hours on call: 610-328-8548