A Message from Student Health Services
It was a real treat for us to meet so many of you parents during Colonial Inauguration. The incoming class of 2012 is truly going to be special. After our extensive conversations and the excellent questions asked during our Healthy Living sessions, we wanted to review some of our policies and offer suggestions to help with a smooth transition for your son or daughter. Essential information on our services, location, hours of operation, fees, and staffing can be found on our website at www.gwired.gwu.edu/shs.
Three issues that we would like to address are prescription medications, psychiatric care and health insurance. While we know there are many other issues and concerns that you may have, we are always available to answer any questions or assist you in any way.
Many students are on prescription medications designated as “controlled substances”, such as Adderall and Ritalin. To have these medications refilled at SHS, students must submit documentation from their private physician of their diagnosis, medication prescribed, dosage and the date of last prescription. This information can be mailed to the Student Health Service at 2141 K Street, NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC, 20037, or brought in at the time of the student’s first visit. Students should schedule an appointment with one of our physicians to obtain or renew a prescription. They will be given a prescription for a month supply and they will need to return to Student Health monthly to secure additional refills. We recommend that parents take a moment to discuss the importance of not sharing medication with friends and of keeping track of their medication. If a controlled substance is misplaced, we will not issue additional prescriptions for this type of medication until the one month prescription period has lapsed.
Students on “non-controlled” prescription medications may bring prescriptions with them to campus and take them directly to a local pharmacy. Students may also schedule an appointment with a SHS clinician and, when medically appropriate, that student will be given a prescription.
There are several pharmacies conveniently located on or close to campus. There is a pharmacy in the Ambulatory Care Center located on 22nd and Eye Streets. Foer’s Pharmacy is on the ground floor of our building at 2141 K Street. In addition, there are several CVS pharmacies located within a few blocks of campus, including one which is open 24 hours on M Street between 22nd and 23rd streets.
Students under Psychiatric care before arriving to GW who need continuing treatment should make arrangements with a private local mental health provider. Our staff Psychiatrist or our medical staff will be happy to assist you in this process.
Throughout the month of October, Student Health offers several Influenza vaccine clinics around campus. As an important way to help prevent the spread of flu, the influenza clinics are offered to all students at a reasonable cost. The dates of the clinics will be posted on our website as well as throughout campus in late September.
As a final point, GW offers an affordable and comprehensive student health insurance plan. Most undergraduate students are covered under your insurance policy until the age of 21, but for those that are not, we strongly recommend that you consider the GW plan underwritten by UnitedHealthcare Student Resources at https://www.uhcsr.com/college/CollegeHome.aspx . It is very important to remember that students have their health insurance card (or a copy) with them on campus. You should talk with them before they arrive on campus to help them understand what your policy covers while they are living in Washington, DC. For example, it is helpful to know if pre-approval is needed to have non-emergency care, such as: lab work, getting an x-ray, or going to a specialist.
We really look forward to working with this year’s incoming class. Please contact us at if we can assist you in any way with the coordination of their health care.
