As students prepare for the fall semester, they are recommended to complete the university health requirements — including proof of vaccinations, consent to medical treatment forms and health insurance decisions — before arriving on campus.
If students need assistance navigating campus health services, they can contact Student Health to speak with a team member, Chief Campus Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman said in a briefing with the Daily Trojan.
“We really encourage students, right now particularly, who might be leaving their home and traveling to USC to take a look at those immunization requirements,” Van Orman said. “You can call, chat us, secure message us even — and we also have some drop-in hours now — if you’re not sure about what documents you need or if you’re meeting the requirements.”
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Student Health team members will also be available to provide immunizations, conduct tuberculosis screenings and review campus health requirements at the on-campus Immunization Fair August 20-24. For other immunizations and medical services — including routine physicals, acute care and referrals — students can schedule an appointment via the student health portal, MySHR.
“USC Student Health is your health care organization while you’re here on campus,” Van Orman said. “We provide the type of care that you might get in your primary care office — care for injuries and illnesses — but also assistance for students who have long-term, ongoing health care needs.”
Services are available via telemedicine or in-person at the campus health clinics: the Engemann Student Health Center at the University Park Campus and the Eric Cohen Student Health Center at the Health Sciences Campus.
Students currently receiving regular care, such as medications for chronic condition management, can contact Student Health to plan continuity of health care.
“We work with a lot of students who have a specialist they’re seeing [or] have a more complicated medication,” Van Orman said. “We can help you figure out how you’re going to receive that while you’re here on campus.”
USC Pharmacy, newly relocated to King Hall at UPC, can fill prescriptions directly from Student Health or from another health care provider. Clinical pharmaceutical services are also available at the USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy at HSC.
Student Health will continue care for students who have experienced gender- and power-based harm, with resources available at the Confidential Advocacy, Resources, and Education — Support Center — formerly known as Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services.
CARE-SC licensed counselors, confidential advocates and health professionals can provide direct support and help students seek medical care, reporting options, group therapy and support services.
“We have advocates available 24 hours a day who can respond if a student has experienced [harm and] provide them immediate, confidential assistance,” Van Orman said.
If students need health care after campus clinic business hours, they can also contact the Student Health call center to speak with a team member — including a licensed counselor or advice nurse — for support.
“When we’re closed, students can talk to one of our agents, and if needed, actually talk to one of our nurses,” Van Orman said. “The nurse can help them get scheduled for an appointment the next day, provide them home-care advice or, if necessary, advise that they seek care at an emergency department.”
For students seeking mental health care on campus, Counseling and Mental Health offers appointments with therapists and psychiatrists, a text-based support service and the Let’s Talk program, which provides nonclinical sessions to speak with a counselor.
“We have everything from individual care for a student who is interested in seeing a counselor to drop-in sessions,” Van Orman said. “If someone is not sure if they want to come in and see someone, there’s a lot of ways they can talk with someone informally.”
