Student Health Services

• Meningitis ACWY vaccine: Pennsylvania law requires all college students living in campus housing in Pennsylvania to have a Meningococcal Vaccination or sign a waiver.
• If your meningitis vaccine dose was before your sixteenth birthday, the CDC recommends that you get a second dose prior to arriving at school, especially if you will be living on campus

Recommended Immunizations

• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis B: series of 3 vaccines
• HPV Vaccination: 3 doses
• Influenza Vaccination (Flu Shot): recommended annually (available at Student Health Services)
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella: two doses of live MMR administered on or after the first birthday (students born before 1957 are exempt)
• Pertussis (Tdap)
• Serogroup B Meningococcal (MenB)
• Tetanus: Original series, plus booster within 10 years (available at Student Health Services)
• Chicken Pox: two doses of live varicella vaccine or physician documented history of the illness 

You can make appointments by phone or in person.

Appointments are scheduled for all visits except for emergencies. Call early so you can find a time that fits into your schedule without missing class. If you arrive without an appointment, a nurse will talk with you to determine the severity of your illness or injury.

What to Bring

Bring your ID and health insurance card with you to your appointment. There is a $12 visit fee and possible additional fees for medications and supplies.

Charges for your visit will automatically be posted to your student account and can be paid either online or at the Bursars Office. Charges will not reveal any personal health information. The Bursar's office accepts cash, checks, and money orders. Payments on QuikPay may be made with an e-check or credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express).

Appointment Time

The length of your appointment will depend on the severity of the illness and/or services provided. As with all health care centers, people with problems that require immediate attention are seen immediately. Although they are infrequent, an emergency could affect your appointment time. If that occurs and you would like to reschedule, please speak with someone at the front desk. The staff attempts to see all students in a timely manner, while providing urgent care to students in need.

If you are in the waiting room for more than twenty minutes, let someone at the front desk know so they can give you a status update. The staff strives to complete medical appointments within one hour, but appointment times may be extended due to the need for extended services.

During Your Appointment

Please inform your nurse if there are any concerns with your visit. If you are not comfortable speaking with your nurse, you can e-mail your concern to the Student health Services e-mail account , or request an appointment to speak with the Associate Director.

Please inform your nurse or provider at the beginning of your visit if you would like to go to an outside lab for ordered lab tests, or if you would like to use a pharmacy to fill a possible prescription.

International Students at WCU are required to carry adequate health insurance. Details are outlined by the WCU Global Engagement Office.

Other resources are also listed below for your convenience. Look at plans, compare, and make a choice based on your needs.

Affordable Care Act

HealthCare.gov is a website to locate health coverage and will allow you to locate the exchange for your state. The exchange will determine Medicaid eligibility and also subsidy eligibility for a private health plan.

PA Health Access, (phone: 877 570-3642,) can also offer assistance in locating insurance, including with Medicaid and MAWD.  If Medicaid eligible, the Medicaid application takes 30 days to process and is retroactive to the date of the application or the date when current coverage ends.  An alternative is the Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD) for individuals who work at least one hour per week and have a chronic health problem.  With MAWD, there is a monthly premium to pay with the insurance taking effect during the month of application or the following month, as desired by the applicant. For more information, please visit PA Health Options.

• Medical Assistance: A joint state and federal program for public assistance to eligible people, regardless of age, whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care. Contact the PA Department of Public Welfare's Recipient Hotline at 1-800-692-7462.
• Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP): Free or low-cost health insurance to uninsured individuals under the age of 19, who may be eligible based on family income. Contact the CHIP help line at 1-800-986-KIDS.

Additional Insurance Resources:

• WCU Benefits Hub
• Independent Student's Guide to Health Insurance
• UROne Benefits

Student Health practices antibiotic stewardship.  Antibiotics are available to treat diseases and save lives.   Appropriate use of antibiotics minimizes the development of untreatable bacteria.  Help to preserve antibiotics for others in need of care.  Some facts from the CDC:

• Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people get infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  At least 23,000 people die as a result.
• Antibiotics are only needed for certain infections caused by bacteria.  Antibiotics do NOT work on viruses.
• Antibiotics also won’t help for some common bacterial infections including most cases of bronchitis, many sinus infections, and some ear infections.
• Reactions from antibiotics cause 1 out of 5 medication-related visits to the emergency department.
• Respiratory viruses usually go away in a week or two without treatment.  To stay healthy and keep others healthy you can:  Clean Hands, Cover Coughs, Stay Home When Sick, Get Recommended Vaccines.

Learn more about Antibiotic Stewardship

Are you concerned about the cost of an ambulance transport in the case of an emergency? Some health insurance plans will cover the transport, so check with your insurance carrier first. If you don’t have insurance or ambulance transport is not covered, there is another option! Good Fellowship Ambulance offers a WCU Student membership for $40 annually.  As a member, you will have no out-of-pocket expenses for emergency services. You can get information on this service and register online at www.goodfellowship.org.  NOTE: If you are registering for this service online, the form will ask for the reference number on your subscription form. Simply enter your local address in this field and then click on the green “+” symbol.

SHS Patient Rights & Responsibilities

As a Health Care organization, we have an explicit responsibility to protect and preserve the confidentiality of all medical information resulting from the professional relationships with patients within Student Health Services. Confidential information contained in medical records and associated papers are restricted to authorized personnel.

Exceptions to confidentiality can occur only under certain circumstances. These exceptions include a serious, immediate threat to a student's life or welfare or to the life or welfare of another person.

• All students who have paid the Student Health Services fee are eligible to use services. Fees are added to the tuition and fees bill for all full-time undergraduate and graduate students.
• There is a $12 visit fee for all appointments at Student Health Services.  
• You may incur additional charges for medication or necessary supplies. You may request information about getting prescriptions and supplies from an outside pharmacy.
  • Payment for Health Services
• Charges for visits will automatically be posted to your student account.
• Charges will not reveal any confidential health information. You can pay for these charges at the Bursar's Office or online through your Student Financials Card on RamPortal.
  • The Bursars office accepts cash, checks, or money orders.
  • Payments on QuikPay can be made with either an e-check or credit card (American Express, Discover, or MasterCard).
  • Payments made on your Student Financials Card on RamPortal can be made with either an e-check or credit card (American Express, Discover, or MasterCard).
• To allow Title IV financial aid to cover health services charges, please log into myWCU, use the link posted under the Alert Section of myWCU.
• Student Health Services does not perform third party billing to insurance companies. You can request a receipt for services to submit to your insurance company, but payment by private insurers varies by plan and is not guaranteed by Student Health Services.

Excuse Notes for Illness

Student Health Services does not provide excuse notes for students who miss class due to illness or injury. Students who miss class due to illness or injury are encouraged to notify faculty as directed by the faculty member.

This policy is consistent with our commitment to maintain confidentiality, encourage appropriate use of health care resources, and support meaningful dialogue between faculty and students.

Students are responsible for promptly notifying instructors about absences caused by illness or injury, preferably prior to class time. We encourage faculty members to let students know the appropriate representation for these situations.

In the event of a documented, prolonged student illness of three days or longer, Student Health Services notifies the Student Assistance office, who will then notify the student's professors of the absence.

Involuntary Medical Withdrawal Policy

West Chester University is committed to fostering student success, maintaining an environment conducive to learning, and assuring the community's safety. Accordingly, the University takes appropriate measures to address student conduct that is destructive to self or others or results in serious disruption of the learning environment. In extraordinary circumstances, the University may require a student to involuntarily withdraw from the University when it determines that this measure is the only way to protect the student and/or others and/or to preserve the integrity of the learning environment. An involuntary medical withdrawal will be imposed only when the University has determined that the student poses a significant risk to self, others, or the learning environment. 

Medical records can be obtained by signing a request for Release of Medical Records and returning it to Student Health Services in person or by mail. Student health information is confidential and the release must be signed by the student. The request should indicate a specific period of time and cannot be signed for ongoing release of information. Parents or guardians who want health information must discuss this with their student and have the student initiate the request for each episode of illness or care.

What is Sexual Misconduct?

The term Sexual Misconduct covers a variety of acts that are perpetuated against another without consent or when an individual is unable to give consent freely. Anyone can be a victim regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

After a sexual assault, it is important that you seek medical care as soon as possible. Time is a factor for your health care. The first 72 hours after an assault are critical for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI's) as well as evidence collection.

Forensic evidence is best collected within 72 hours of the assault. Comprehensive medical care, including evidence collection, is available to you at local hospitals, even if you do not wish to press charges.

• Chester County Hospital Emergency Department
• Paoli Hospital Emergency Department
• Phoenixville Hospital Emergency Department
• The Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc.
• 24/7 Hotline: Sexual Assault 610-692-7273

West Chester University Student Health Services provides the following care for you after a sexual assault:

• Non-forensic medical exam
• Discussion of options for screening or treatment for sexually transmitted infection
• Discussion of options for pregnancy prevention
• Information about follow-up care
• Referral for counseling on or off-campus

Information about resources and the WCU Sexual Assault Policy and reporting