A Georgia Baptist Institution
Student Health Services (SHS) is a nurse-directed clinic. Our medical director is an off-campus medical physician. Treatment in SHS is limited to acute, ambulatory care only. We are not set up or staffed in a manner that can facilitate chronic, long-term illnesses.
Our facility is open on weekdays only, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The clinic is closed in the evenings and on weekends with no on-call staff. Physicians are on campus only two hours weekly (on Wednesday afternoon). There are no provisions for overnight care of sick students, or isolation of students with communicable diseases. Students requiring these services will be encouraged to return home for the duration of their illnesses. Assistance in making necessary arrangements will be offered if home care is not an option.
Other nearby healthcare facilities are Floyd Medical Center, located within 3 blocks, Urgent Care is across the street from the university, Harbin Clinic and Redmond Medical Center are within a 10 minute drive from Shorter University. A listing of other healthcare facilities is available in Room 219A, Fitton Student Union.
Shorter University Student Health Services follows HIPAA guidelines. The HIPAA guidelines are on pages 3 and 4 of the Certificate of Immunization and Health History form that all incoming new students must complete and sign. There are copies available in the clinic as well. To insure confidentiality of health records, a student’s written consent is required before releasing information.
Download the REQUIRED Certificate of Immunization and Health History
Authorization for Disclosure to Designated Individuals
Click here for more information on required immunizations
Important notice regarding Meningitis
Here is a list of local and national drug and alcohol prevention programs. Although Counseling Services does not provide treatment services for alcohol and drug use/abuse, the Director of Student Support Services will meet with students seeking such treatment for a brief time to provide support, assess the students’ needs, and assist them with referrals to off-campus resources.
FLU INFORMATION
Flu season lasts through the fall and winter months. More than one kind of flu viruses can spread in a flu season. Should a flu outbreak occur on campus, a team of Shorter University personnel, including top administrators, health and safety personnel, and faculty representatives will plan for appropriate responses.
Flu vaccines will be available at the annual Health Fair in the fall semester.
Learn more on how to prevent the flu
Student Health Services
Fitton Student Union, Room 209 A
Physicians - Wednesdays from 2 pm to 4 pm
Clinic Hours -
Monday through Friday - 8:30 am to 4 pm
Fall Semester 2013 Physician Visits
August 21, 28
September 4, 11, 18, 25
October 2, 9 16, 23, 30
November 6, 13, 20
December 4
Spring Semester 2014 Physician Visits
January 8, 15, 22, 29
February 5, 12, 19, 26
March 12, 19, 26
April 9, 16, 23
Shorter University
Student Health Services
Box 37
315 Shorter Avenue
Rome, GA 30165
Telephone: 706-233-7278
Confidential Fax: 706-236-1519
Fax: 706-233-7378
Email: mssmith@shorter.edu
Location: 2nd Floor, Fitton Student Union
CLINIC STAFF
Dr. Frank Don Diego, MD
Medical Director
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Mary Shotwell Smith, MA, BSN, RN, SANE, FCN Director, Student Health Services mssmith@shorter.edu |
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Mrs. Gerry Schlitz Certified Nurse Assistant gschlitz@shorter.edu |
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Mrs. Jan Sidwell Administrative Assistant jsidwell@shorter.edu |
Shorter Student Support Online Resource
An online resource to provide information, support, advice, news, insight and inspiration. Here you will find articles, tips and thoughts regarding mental and physical health and education and career support.
REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS
A completed health/immunization form must be received in Student Health Services prior to registering for classes.
Required Immunizations
2 MMRs
TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) injection less than 10 years old
It is recommended you receive the following immunizations and screening:
Meningococcal vaccine
Hepatitis B (Series of 3)
Varicella (Chickenpox)
PPD (Tuberculosis screening within 1 year)
NOTE to nursing majors: Shorter University’s School of Nursing requires the Hepatitis B series, tuberculosis (annual Mantoux skin test) and varicella vaccine for admittance to the BSN program.
Click here for more information on required immunizations
All daytime traditional, non-traditional, commuter and residential students must complete a health form and return it prior to registration. The Health and Immunization form is available online by downloading the form at the top of this page or by contacting the Office of Admissions.
In addition, proof of insurance for students is necessary or your registration will be considered incomplete. Proof of insurance should be sent with the Health and Immunization form to:
Shorter University
Student Health Services
315 Shorter Ave.
Rome, GA 30165
Domestic Student Insurance
Domestic students who want to enroll in an individual plan policy, click here - http://www.humana.com/individual_insurance/insurance_products/humanaone_medical_plans.aspx
Domestic athletes insurance:
Athletic insurance is being reviewed for the 2013 - 2014 academic year and new information will be posted as soon as a decision has been reached concerning coverage. Thank you for your patience.
International student insurance:
Our goal is for all international students to receive proper medical care while studying in our country. Due to the uncertainty of acceptability of international insurance in the United States' healthcare system, all international students are required to have the international medical insurance provided through Shorter University. Mrs. Linda Palumbo Olszanski, Assistant Vice President of International Programs, assists the international students with their enrollment in the insurance plan. Her telephone number is 706-233-7409. Or contact, Mary Lou Romero, Administrative Assistant for International Programs at 706-233-7409 or email mromero@shorter.edu.
International students' insurance is being reviewed for the 2013 - 2014 academic year and new information will be posted as soon as a decision has been reached concerning coverage. Thank you for your patience.
International athletes' insurance is being reviewed for the 2013 - 2014 academic year and new information will be posted as soon as a decision has been reached concerning coverage. Thank you for your patience.
WELLNESS EDUCATION
Wellness Education involves empowering students with the necessary knowledge to take better care of themselves throughout their lifetime. This can be as simple as learning how to make wise choices resulting in an appropriate decision concerning their health or as complex as discussing serious health conditions.
Wellness Education comes in various forms. It can be in lecture form before a classroom or a one-on-one conversation with a student in the clinic. Printed materials on men's and women's health, acute illnesses, sports wellness and physical fitness are available to the students. In addition, Student Health Services provides information on smoking cessation, drug use and abuse, nutrition, exercise and other health promotion/maintenance issues.
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT
A Registered Nurse is available to give a general assessment of the student. If a more complete assessment is needed, the student is referred to the campus physician (on campus one afternoon per week) or to a local medical doctor.
There is no charge for a visit to the campus nurse or the self-care area of the clinic. There is a $10 charge to see the physician in addition to a $10 charge for certain screenings (strep, urinalysis, pregnancy, HBG, mono, blood glucose, PPD). These charges are billed to your campus account or may be paid directly to Student Health Services. Tetanus vaccine is available for emergency use in the clinic and influenza vaccines are available October through December or until the supply is exhausted.
SERVICES
Physician visits - 2 hours weekly, Wednesdays 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, walk-ins accepted
Self-care Sections (Two available - one outside the clinic door and one in the clinic's reception area)
Illness visits - (walk-in)
Assessment
Diagnosis
Treatment
Referrals as needed
Screenings include - strep, urinalysis, mononucleosis, pregnancy, HBG, blood glucose, PPD, hearing and body composition using the Tannita Body Mass Analyzer.
Click here for a health services price list
HELPFUL LINKS
- For information on nutrition: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/;
- For information on alcohol: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/general_info.htm;
- For information on quitting smoking: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/index.htm;
- For information on controlling weight: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html.
Certain annual, pre-employment, and school non-athletic physicals are available in the Student Health Services by appointment only as campus physicians’ schedule allows.
Shorter University Student-Athletes:
Pre‐participation physicals for the upcoming athletic season will be administered by the Shorter
University Sports Medicine Staff, Floyd Medical Center, and Rome Orthopedic Clinic. There are specific dates and times assigned for each sport. The dates can be located by going to the athletic website, choose inside athletics, scroll to sports medicine, scroll to physical dates.
Each student-athlete is required to have a physical examination by the sports medicine staff and a physician chosen by the head trainer prior to any participation in any intercollegiate sport. The final decision of physical qualifications or reason for rejection is the responsibility of the team physician. The team physician also makes the decision on when an athlete may return to competition after a previous injury.
Vaccines available through Student Health Services are tetanus and influenza. PPD (tuberculosis screening) is available and recommended for international students and any students returning from study abroad and missions in countries where tuberculosis is still prevalent (see www.cdc.gov). Other immunizations can be received at Floyd County Health Department and Harbin Clinic’s Department of Infectious Diseases.
FIRST AID TRIAGE
Student Health Services is a walk-in clinic. There is a small self-care center as you enter the clinic’s reception room. If further help is needed, a Registered Nurse is available during clinical hours. Small quantities of over-the-counter medications are available for colds, sinus problems, cuts, headaches and pain.
Campus physicians (one faculty physician and one resident physician) from Floyd Medical Residency Program are in Student Health Services each Wednesday afternoon (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.) when classes are in session, except the months of May, June and July. All medical diagnoses, prescriptions, and orders for off-campus diagnostic tests such as blood tests, x-rays, and MRIs are through the campus physicians. There are many pharmacies in our area including CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreen’s, Walmart and several privately owned pharmacies. Healthcare personnel can assist students in locating an appropriate pharmacy for their needs.
Appointments are not necessary except for potentially lengthy physical exams with the doctor such as a pre-employment exam. All emergency cases are treated first. Upon assessment, if a situation requires a physician, healthcare personnel will refer the student to the campus physician or to an outside medical facility, if a campus physician is not available. In an emergency situation when campus physicians are not on campus, healthcare personnel will refer the student to a local emergency room or an appropriate medical facility. Healthcare personnel will help an ill or injured student arrange transportation to a medical facility.
ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR
The Shorter University’s Wellness Committee will sponsor the campus-wide Health Fair on Thursday, September 12.
Shorter University's Student Health Services supports each of the following observances on campus.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Heart Month
Great American Smokeout Month
Alcohol Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
MEMBERSHIPS
The Nurse Director in Shorter University's Student Health Services is affiliated with the following organizations:
Baptist Nurses' Fellowship
American College Health Association
Southern College Health Association
American Nurses Association
Georgia Nurses Association
Sigma Theta Tau International (Honor Society of Nursing)
MYSTUDENTBODY.COM - Alcohol Awareness Education
Shorter University has a strict no alcohol and other drugs policy. MyStudentBody.com is one preventive program that Shorter University uses to help our students understand the risks involved with alcohol and other drugs.
MyStudentBody is a complete alcohol, drugs, and student wellness program for colleges and universities. It is used by leading public and private universities across the nation. MyStudentBody also serves as a general wellness resource addressing tobacco use, nutrition, stress, with motivational self-assessments.
Click here for detailed login instructions
Shorter University is dedicated to providing and promoting a healthy and productive working and learning environment for its faculty, staff, students, visitors, contractors, vendors and guests. The Tobacco-Free Policy, effective June 1, 2012, is consistent with that goal. The Policy is the result of many discussions within The President’s Council, the Wellness Committee, and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Coalition. By endorsing this policy, Shorter University demonstrates its commitment to eliminating environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, reduce harm from tobacco use and secondhand smoke, reduce health insurance and health care costs, promote best healthcare practices and choices for individuals, and establishing a university culture of wellness.
STUDENTS AND PARENTS!
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON MENINGITIS!
As of January 1, 2004, Georgia Law requires all college students living in campus housing to be vaccinated against meningococcal disease or sign a waiver stating they have received information about the disease and have elected not to be immunized.
In order to ensure that students in Georgia are planning to attend college are vaccinated in accordance with state legislation, Student Health Services sponsors an immunization clinic which includes meningococcal vaccine on campus during the Immunization Clinic in the fall semester. Students can receive the vaccine at Harbin Clinic, Infectious Disease control Clinic, 1825 Martha Berry Blvd., 706-295-5331, from their personal, or from the physician of their choice.
* Meningococcal disease is a serious disease that can lead to death within only a few hours of onset; one in ten cases is fatal; and one in seven survivors of the disease is left with a severe disability, such as the loss of a limb, mental retardation, paralysis, deafness, or seizures;
* Meningococcal disease is contagious but a largely preventable infection of the spinal cord fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain;
* Scientific evidence suggests that college students living in dormitory facilities are at a moderately increased risk of contracting meningococcal disease; and
* Immunization against meningococcal disease will decrease the risk of the disease.
* The meningococcal meningitis vaccine can prevent 4 types of meningococcal disease, including two of the three types most common in the United States and a type that causes epidemics in Africa. Meningococcal vaccines cannot prevent all types of the disease, but they protect about 90% of the people who get the vaccine.
(Resource – DHHS, CDC, 01/28/2008)
For website problems or questions, please email dthompson@shorter.edu