Being on your own can be a fun and rewarding journey for many Hopkins students. Some have even ventured to say the experience played as intricate a role in their college education as any class they took.
However, the fun quickly fades the first time you are sick and realize you are also on your own to take care of it. "Where do I go?," "What do I do?," many ask. Relax, Hopkins has already thought of this and provided you with an answer.
The Student Health and Wellness Center is conveniently located on the terrace level of the AMR II building. And, best of all, office visits with their available staff of doctors and nurses are always free of charge for all full-time and part-time Hopkins students.
Services available at the Health and Wellness Center range from allergy injections and physical exams to birth control counseling and confidential HIV testing. Appointments for Health and Wellness services can be made by phone or in person. In many cases appointments can even be made the same day.
Aside from the numerous bins of condoms that cover nearly every table in the Health and Wellness building, there are many other birth control options offered to students. Most notably, certain brands of birth control pills are available, with the recent exception of Ortho-Cyclen and LoOvral.
Since contagious illnesses spread like wildfire in the dorms, many students choose to get flu shots in order to avoid the epidemics.
When the time comes, flu shots are available either by appointment or drop-in, though setting up an appointment will save you from a rather long wait.
If by chance you happen to be one of the few unfortunate students who falls ill the day of the big Calculus or Biology exam, many professors will require documentation of illness in order to grant you a make-up. This documentation can be obtained at the Student Health and Wellness Center following a consultation. So it would be in your best interest, both physically and academically, to have that illness checked out.
If you ever find yourself in an emergency health situation and cannot get to the Health and Wellness Clinic or the clinic is closed, call campus security at (410) 516-7777. And of course, in the event of any life-threatening situation call 911.
In addition tophysical health, the Student Health and Wellness Center also takes care of students' mental health situations. A major problem found on any campus is stress, but in particular a school as demanding as Hopkins can stress out even the most resilient of students.
The Health and Wellness Center features a CD lending library with several relaxation CDs, which can be borrowed by any Hopkins' students for a period of two weeks.
Many resources to help you cope with stress can also be found on the JHU and Health and Wellness website.
The Health and Wellness Center hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. till 5 p.m., as well as Saturday from 9 a.m. till noon. For more complete information on services available and general information refer to the Health and Wellness Web site, http://www.jhu.edu/~shcenter/index.html. To schedule an appointment or speak with a staff member call (410) 516-8270.
