A Message from Student Health Services
It was good meeting many parents during CI. Based on our conversations with parents and the excellent questions asked during our Healthy Living sessions, we felt that it would be helpful to respond to some of the issues that were raised.
Information on our services, location, hours of operation, fees, and staffing can be found on our website at www.gwired.gwu.edu/shs. To ensure that your student’s health and medical needs are met and that any ongoing treatment is not interrupted, we wanted to review some of our policies and offer suggestions to help with a smooth transition for your son or daughter.
Many students are on prescription medications and will need refills while away at school. For medications that are designated “controlled substances”, such as Adderall and Ritalin, students must supply documentation of their diagnosis, prescribed medication including doses and date the last prescription was issued. This information can be mailed to Student Health Service at 2141 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC 20037 or brought in at time of the first visit. Students should schedule an appointment with one of our physicians to get a new prescription. They will be given a prescription for a one month supply and will need to return to Student Health monthly to secure a new prescription. Please take a moment to discuss the importance of not sharing medications with friends and keeping track of their medication. We will not issue additional prescriptions for this type of medication if it is misplaced.
Students will be referred to either our psychiatrist Dr. Joan Barber or to a private psychiatrist in the community to obtain prescriptions for treatment of other psychiatric conditions Dr.Barber sees students in Student Health Service for evaluation, short term treatment and referral. Medical records of previous psychiatric evaluation and treatment should be provided. In situations where long term care is needed, we recommend a consultation with a psychiatrist in the community. We advise that you consider contacting a local psychiatrist before your student comes to campus. We are happy to assist you with referrals.
Students on “non-controlled” prescription medications have the following options: bring prescriptions with them to campus and simply take them directly to a local pharmacy or schedule an appointment with a SHS clinician and when medically appropriate, patients 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 opened 24 hours CVS on M Street between 22nd and 23rd streets.
Students should have their health insurance card (or a copy) with them on campus and understand what their policy covers while living in Washington D.C. For example, it is helpful to know if pre-approval is needed to have non-emergency care such lab work, getting an x-ray or going to a specialist.
We are looking forward to working with your students. Please contact us at if we can assist you with the coordination of their health care.
