The Wellness Center offers health services to currently enrolled students and serves as their primary-care provider while you are away from home. The center is staffed with nurse practitioners and a physician assistant along with part-time physicians.
The center offers multiple services, including treatment for common illnesses and injuries, preventative health, sexual health services, and physical exams. All students are eligible to be seen regardless of health insurance type or coverage.
How do I make an appointment?
To be seen in Health Services, please call the office to schedule an appointment at 717-245-1663. You may also walk in to schedule an appointment. We do not make appointments online or through email.
We utilize an appointment-based schedule, and an appointment is necessary to be seen. For most illness or injury visits, an appointment will be scheduled within 24 hours. Other routine appointments will be scheduled in a timely manner.
Summary of Services
Health Services is your primary care medical provider while on campus. All care is confidential within the scope of the law. We offer multiple services, including:
- Evaluation and treatment of illness and injuries
- Evaluation and treatment of chronic illness, in conjunction with home providers as needed
- Limited in-house prescription medications as prescribed by our medical providers (We are not a pharmacy and can NOT fill outside prescriptions).
- Health education and information
- Limited equipment lending (e.g., crutches)
- Physical exams for school, employment, or other needs
- Limited in-house laboratory services (including but not limited to strep tests, mono tests, and urine tests) Other laboratory tests may be ordered, collected, and sent to outside labs as needed (We do NOT collect or send labs ordered from outside providers).
- Limited immunizations available such as Flu, Tdap, MMR, and varicella.
- Help with injectable medications
- Referrals to outside medical facilities or specialists as needed
Sexual Health Services
Health Services offers comprehensive sexual health services for all students. Care is confidential.
Available Services
- Sexual health education
- Diagnosis and treatment of sexual health concerns
- Individual consultation and prescription of contraception
- Birth control pills, the patch, and the shot are available in-house. For more information about birth control methods: www.bedsider.org
- Routine sexual health exams
- Laboratory testing including routine STI testing (chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV) and pap smears
- Other laboratory testing depending on concerns may include HPV, herpes, KOH/Wet Prep and urine pregnancy tests
- PreP information and prescription initiation
- Emergency contraception (ECP or the morning after pill) is available on-site.
- An appointment with a provider is required for ECP to be dispensed.
- It is important to take the ECP within the first 72 hours for optimal effectiveness.
- ECP is now also available without a prescription at local pharmacies. The cost of ECP is higher at pharmacies, but it is an option when the Wellness Center is closed and you do not want to wait until it reopens.
For more sexual health information: www.cdc.gov and goaskalice.columbia.edu
Safe Sex Supplies Available
Safe sex supplies, including internal and external condoms, are available free of charge for pick up in the Wellness Center foyer from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday.
RAs and other groups: You may fill out the condom request form to request a supply for your area.
Testing Tuesday
Walk-in routine STI testing is available every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m.
- STI testing is confidential and free of charge
- Must be asymptomatic for Testing Tuesday
Allergy Injections
Health Services offers allergy injections for students who have seen an allergist and have the proper serum and paperwork. Please complete this form.
Travel Health Clinic
Health Services offers a Travel Health Clinic for all students studying abroad on an appointment basis. The Travel Health Clinic is designed to provide preventive measures to minimize the risk of illness while students are studying abroad.
Travel Clinic Appointment Details
The travel clinic appointment will:
- Take travel/medical history to assess individual risk with the goal of minimizing that risk. The travel/health history form must be completed on-line at least 24 hours in advance of the appointment.
- Provide pre-travel consultation regarding the geographical areas that the student will visit.
- Provide recommendations and/or administration of drugs and/or vaccines for the areas of travel.
- Provide travel health education material to the student.
Cost: $50 for the consultation. Cost of medications and vaccines may be extra and will be discussed at the time of the appointment.
Fees & Costs
There is no cost or fee to be seen in Health Services for most office visits. There may be fees associated with lab testing, medications, immunizations, procedures, and durable medical equipment. Below is our current fee list:
Visit Fees
- Urgent or Routine office visit: Free
- Physical exam with a form that needs a health care provider signature: $30
- Travel Health Consultation: $50
Lab Test Fees
- Blood Sugar: $10
- COVID: $15
- COVID/Influenza Combo: $25
- Influenza Screen: $15
- Mono Test: $12
- Strep Screen: $20
- Urinalysis (Dip): $8
- Urinalysis (Microscope): $12
Procedure Fees
- Ear Lavage: $10
- Incision & Drainage: $8
- Lesion Destruction: $8
- Nebulizer Treatment: $20
- Allergy Injections: $15 -$20
- Injections from outside prescriptions: $15
Sexual Health Related Fees
- Chlamydia Test: Free
- Gonorrhea Test: Free
- HIV Testing: Free
- Herpes Testing: Free
- Syphilis Testing: Free
- Pap Smear: $20
- Urine pregnancy test: $8
- Trichomonas test: $15
- Wet Prep/KOH Slide: $12
- Oral and Emergency Contraceptives: $12 (or less)
Immunization Fees
- Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis (Adacel): $70
- Tetanus/Diphtheria: $40
- Flu vaccine: $0
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR): $100
- TB SkinTest (PPD): $20
- Varicella (Varivax): $180
Durable Medical Equipment Fees
- Ace Wrap: $5
- Air Cast: $30
- Crutches (Borrowed): Free
- Crutches (Not Returned): $35
- Finger Splint: $10
- Heating Pad: $20
Medication Fees
- In-house medications: $10 - $25
Health Insurance
Health Services does not bill insurance companies for charges. We can provide an itemized receipt upon check-out, so these charges may be submitted to your insurance carrier.
Students should have their insurance card with them while at college. They should also be familiar with the basic terms of their individual insurance plan. Costs for medical care provided by local medical facilities or specialists are the students' responsibility. Most billing offices will submit a claim to insurance on the student's behalf. However, students should be ready to pay the co-payment at the time of visit, if it is required by their insurance company.
For information about health insurance requirements for Dickinson students, visit the Student Health Insurance page.
Laboratory Services & Billing
Before You Have Lab Work Completed
To provide the best care, your provider may order laboratory testing as part of your visit. Most laboratory tests are sent to Quest Diagnostics for processing.
It is your responsibility to:
- Verify that your insurance covers the laboratory tests that have been ordered.
- Determine whether prior authorization or other requirements apply.
- Understand your deductible, copay, coinsurance, or other out-of-pocket costs.
- Confirm whether your insurance requires you to use a specific laboratory.
If your insurance requires a laboratory other than Quest Diagnostics, please let us know before your specimen is collected. In many cases, we can accommodate your request.
If you have questions about your insurance coverage, we recommend contacting your insurance company before your laboratory testing is performed.
Who bills for laboratory testing?
Dickinson College Health Services does not bill for laboratory tests that are sent to an outside laboratory.
The laboratory that performs your testing (typically Quest Diagnostics) bills your insurance company directly using the insurance information you provided to Health Services.
What is my responsibility?
Your health insurance determines whether laboratory services are covered and what portion, if any, you are responsible for paying.
Depending on your insurance plan, you may receive:
- No bill
- A copay, deductible, or coinsurance bill
- A bill for services not covered by your insurance
Health Services cannot determine your insurance benefits or guarantee that laboratory services will be covered.
Can I use a different laboratory?
Yes. If your insurance requires you to use a different laboratory, please let us know before your specimen is collected. In many cases, we can accommodate your request.
What if I receive a laboratory bill and have questions?
If you receive an unexpected bill from the laboratory, please contact the laboratory listed on the bill or your insurance company first, as they are best able to explain the charges and your insurance benefits.
What if I need more help?
Receiving a medical bill can be confusing. If you're not sure where to start, a member of our staff is happy to meet with you to review your bill, help identify the appropriate contacts, and suggest questions to ask your insurance company or the laboratory. While we cannot change laboratory charges or determine insurance benefits, we're here to help you navigate the process.
By choosing to have laboratory testing performed, you acknowledge that:
- The laboratory—not Dickinson College Health Services—will bill for testing.
- Health Services will provide the laboratory with the insurance information you have supplied.
- You are responsible for understanding your insurance benefits.
- You may be financially responsible for some or all laboratory charges, depending on your insurance coverage.
Prescription Services
Health Services does not fill prescriptions written by an off-site provider. Your prescription can be filled at any of the local pharmacies. A medical transport van is available to students, free of charge.
For Health Services visits that require a prescription, the medication may be filled in house if stocked, or the student may elect to send it to a local pharmacy where it may be covered by insurance.
Our office also has a delivery arrangement with the following pharmacies for students who are on a long-term prescription medication. Health Services sends daily email notifications when prescriptions have been delivered and can be picked up.
Quality Care Pharmacy
1 Sprint Drive, Carlisle
717-249-5691
- Delivery available to Health Services M/W/F, free of charge
- Credit card required for co-pay to establish an account
- Automatic refills are available
Medical Arts Pharmacy
223 Penrose Place, Carlisle
717-906-1246
- Delivery available to Health Services Monday - Friday, free of charge
- Automatic refills are available