Medical Services FAQ

Medical services provided by Schacht fall into several broad categories. Please call in advance to schedule appointments. 

• Primary care services: This refers to the kind of regular, preventative care that people should get annually. At Schacht, we can meet with students for their annual physical. This might include things like vaccines, regular tests like pap smears, and a general discussion about your health and wellbeing. 
• Ongoing care: We can provide ongoing care for managing mental health medications, reproductive health, and some chronic health conditions. If someone has a condition that requires specialty care, we can provide referrals, which are required by some specialists. 
• Sick visits: If a student is feeling sick, they can call to speak to a nurse. For milder symptoms of a cold (e.g. headache, low-grade fever, etc.), a phone consultation with advice for self-managing symptoms may be sufficient. If someone has more severe symptoms, we might suggest an in person appointment in which we can do free, in house testing for things like flu, strep, and mono. 
• Urgent care visits: Mild to moderate injuries can be attended to at the Schacht Center. This can include things like sprained ankles, cuts that do not need stitches, minor burns, etc.

The Schacht Center has a lab where students and staff can get bloodwork done if recommended by a provider. The lab is operated by LabCorp, which means it is staffed and functions independently from the rest of the Schacht Center. LabCorp does bill insurance for lab work that is done, so if you get bloodwork or urine tests done at Schacht, expect a bill from your insurance company. This price can vary based on your insurance plan, so it can be helpful to call your insurance in advance to inquire about co-pays for labs.

Medical providers are able to prescribe the birth control pill to students. If a student would like another option (e.g., IUD, nexplanon, surgical birth control, etc.), the Schacht Center can provide off-campus resources.

Yes! Students can complete online screening through the patient portal and schedule appointments for STI testing online. This is done through LabCorp, so there may be a copay associated with STI tests.

The Schacht Center offers flu testing if students have symptoms that indicate they may have an upper respiratory infection. Most of the time, upper respiratory conditions can be managed at home. Testing is often deferred because the advice around managing any respiratory illness is the same. See our respiratory care section for more guidance if you are experiencing symptoms.

International students receive a special orientation from the Schacht Center during their pre-orientation. This training provides a primer on the U.S. healthcare system. Additionally, we assist with providing vaccines that students may need.

Some abroad locations require vaccines that not everyone has had. The Schacht Center can often provide these vaccines if students reach out in a timely manner. In general, we advise reaching out for these appointments at least six weeks before the end of the semester before you go abroad.

At the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness, we work to provide students with the best possible support around their reproductive health. We recognize that students of all identities deserve equitable access to the services that meet their unique needs. We provide services that are within the scope of our practice, and work to provide referrals to community providers we trust who can perform services outside of our scope of practice.

Services include ongoing education, barrier contraception, free emergency contraception, birth control prescribing, preventative care (e.g., pap smears), STI screening, free pregnancy testing, sexual assault/mental health support, and referrals to abortion providers.

The most important way to do this is to ask questions! If you are meeting with a therapist or medical provider and you aren’t sure if something is free or if you will be billed, ask about it.

In general, meeting with a staff member at Schacht is always free. Many routine things, like flu tests, pregnancy tests, and therapy sessions are free. Things that end up being billed are often things that go through the lab or getting a vaccine. When in doubt, ask BEFORE the procedure happens. Staff will be able to tell you if it will be billed. Depending on your insurance, we might not know what the exact co-pay will be, but we can give you resources to talk to your insurance and find out.

Going to the Schacht Center is a good first step for any non-emergency medical situation. When you come in for an appointment, the provider you meet with is trained to assess your symptoms and presentation to help determine what kind of care you need. There are some things that we are able to do at the Schacht Center. However, when someone needs more specialized care, we provide a referral.

A referral is an official recommendation from a medical provider for their patient to meet with a specialist. Some insurance plans require a referral from a primary care doctor in order to cover the visit with a specialist. That’s why meeting with a primary care provider is a good first step, even if you think you might need to meet with a specialist.

Some of the more common referrals we give are for things like getting medical imaging (x-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc.), certain reproductive healthcare (e.g., IUDs and Nexplanon implants), and physical therapy. When a referral is given, this means that your provider will reach out to the office of the specialist and share that you require their services. Then, you can reach out directly to the specialist to schedule your appointment.

If you are having an emergency, call campus safety and get an ambulance to Cooley Dickinson hospital. Some signs of emergencies include: seizures, fevers over 104°F, head injury (associated with symptoms like vomiting, losing consciousness, ringing in the ears, etc.), chest pain, difficulty breathing (unable to talk, lips turning pale or blue), severe pain (especially abdominal), and burns.

If you are not having an emergency, but are still too unwell to come to the Schacht Center, you can call Schacht. We may be able to set up a telehealth consultation, help you arrange a ride with campus safety, or direct you to a higher level of care if needed. You can even call Schacht after hours and speak to a nurse.

Medical services are confidential if you are over 18. This means that Schacht staff cannot communicate with your caregivers/family, friends, professors, or any other people outside of Schacht about your care unless we have explicit, written permission to do so. Medical staff cannot even affirm whether they know a student.

Some students might have come in with pre-signed releases of information. These documents may technically give Schacht staff permission to speak with your parents. If you are not sure if you have this paperwork on file, you are welcome to ask during your visit. If you have decided you would like to pull permission, you can do so at any time. Additionally, even when students have a release of information on file, it is typically our policy to speak with students to get affirmation that they would like for us to release information.

The only exception to this is if a student is in a life-threatening medical situation (higher intensity than just an ER visit). In these cases, we will reach out to emergency contacts.

The medical service is committed to providing trans affirming care. This ranges from best practices like using students’ chosen names and pronouns, to medical interventions like hormone replacement therapy. Staff who prescribe HRT are trained and able to work with students who wish to receive a variety of medications like testosterone, estrogen, spironolactone, progesterone, and finasteride. Additionally, staff are familiar with and affirming of non-binary gender identities and are comfortable working with students who may wish to microdose HRT. Finally, staff are comfortable providing referrals to gender affirming surgeons.

The Schacht Center has a registered dietitian with limited availability. If you believe you would benefit from dietetic consultation, you are welcome to call and ask to speak with a medical provider. You may first meet with a nurse practitioner or doctor to discuss your concerns. They may be able to assist you with some less specialized questions (e.g., general education about adequate nutrition, concerns about getting enough protein, etc.). When students have more serious dietary concerns, their therapist or medical provider can refer them to the Schacht dietitian.

Yes! The Schacht Center provides a free flu clinic every year. We are sometimes able to do COVID vaccine clinics; in these instances, we collaborate with pharmacies who come in and run the clinic. In these instances, they bill insurance, which typically covers 100% of COVID vaccine costs. In the course of your time at Smith, you may need other vaccines for general wellness or study abroad. We have the ability to do many vaccines (e.g., tetanus, MMR, etc.) and can sometimes source rarer vaccines (e.g., yellow fever). These vaccines do get billed through insurance, but typically 100% of the cost is covered.