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Letter to Parents of First Year Students

June 2009

Dear First Year Student Family Members:

Welcome to UGA! We know that with all that is going on in the transition to college life, there is little time to think ahead about staying healthy or about illness prevention. However, the University Health Center (UHC) is committed to both treating health problems and preventing illness for all of our students.

To provide convenient, personalized care, the health center adopted a new appointment system. Primary care is provided by four teams of medical professionals consisting of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and other support staff. Students will be assigned to one personal primary care provider (pcp) who is a member of a medical team. Teams are identified by color - Gold, Red, Blue and Green.

Patients are seen by appointment, usually the same day. Appointments can be made online or by phone. A valid UGA ID is required to access all services at UHC.

Students can learn the name of their clinician, team assignment and contact number when they go online to make an appointment. They can also call the Health Information department at 706-542-8617.

The Board of Regents requires all incoming students for fall 2009 to be immunized against measles, mumps and rubella, varicella (chicken pox) and tetanus in order to be able to register for classes. If your student is 18 or younger, proof of immunization to hepatitis B is also required. Documentation must be provided on the form available at www.uhs.uga.edu/appts_forms/immunizations.html. A Tuberculosis Screening Questionnaire is included with the immunization forms and must be completed and submitted with other immunization information.

If a student is unable to provide documentation of required vaccines, a blood titer test is available for measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B to determine immunity. Students may have the blood tests and the required vaccines at the health center when they come to orientation.

Flu vaccine will be available at UHC during fall semester and we highly recommend that each student gets a flu shot this year.

A vaccine is available to protect against meningococcal meningitis. While the incidence of the disease is very low, it is serious and can be fatal. The vaccine will decrease, but not eliminate, the risk of meningococcal meningitis. Students residing in UGA residence halls are required to sign documentation that they have either received the meningitis vaccine or have reviewed information about the disease and have declined the vaccine. University Housing will be distributing a health center fact sheet about meningitis prior to the fall semester.

For women up to age 26, a vaccine is available which has shown to be effective in preventing infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) strains that cause about 70% of cases of cervical cancer. It is a three dose series, given over a 6 month period.

All required vaccines are available at the health center and will be offered during orientation. Payment is due at the time of service. Immunization hours are Monday - Friday from 8:30 - 11:00 am and 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Optional or recommended vaccines are available by appointment at any time during the semester. To discuss immunization requirements with our staff, call 706-542-8617 or review the information at www.uhs.uga.edu/appts_forms/immunizations.html.

It is important for every student with health insurance to bring their insurance card with them to campus. You will need to contact your insurance company to see if our services are covered under your policy. UHC can file any charges with the insurance company for reimbursement, but we are participating providers only with the University System health insurance plan administered by Pearce and Pearce (see www.pearceandpearce.com//PearceSite/Schools/GA/uga/Default.asp).

Students 18 and older can consent to their own care. If your student is a minor (under 18), a patient agreement form, located at www.uhs.uga.edu/appts_forms/open_comm.html must be signed and submitted to UHC before treatment can be administered.

Additional information about all UHC services is available on our website at www.uhs.uga.edu. Special information written just for parents can be found at www.uhs.uga.edu/parents.

We encourage each student to ask questions about their health and safety and to be actively engaged in their health care and treatment. We hope your student has a healthy successful year at UGA.

Sincerely,
Jean E. Chin, MD, MBA, FACP
Executive Director