Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Does Health Services provide medical excuses?
Q.Does Health Services fill prescriptions?
Q. What do I do if I’m sick after Health Services has closed?
Q.Do antibiotics interfere with my birth control?
Q. Does Health Services sell the HPV vaccine, Gardasil?
Q.Are condoms available from Health Services?
Q.Is there a nutritionist on campus?
Q.Do I need to have a physical every year?
Q.How long does Health Services keep a student's records after they have graduated?
Q. How does confidentiality work?
Q.Do parents have access to health information?
Q. Does Health Services provide medical excuses?
A. Skidmore College Health Services recognizes that students are expected to attend every
class. We advise students to contact their professors directly (preferably before
missing a class) to make arrangements to accommodate their illness, if necessary.
Health Services cannot vouch for past or present illnesses. As an emerging adult,
we believe you, and feel strongly that your professors do as well. Therefore, the
Health Services policy is as follows: Verification of medical illness notes are not
given to document visits to Health Services.
Q. Does Health Services fill prescriptions?
A. Health Services does not fill prescriptions written by outside providers. If a student
has a prescription that needs to be filled, it may be taken to any of the local pharmacies.
Be sure to check your insurance to see if there is a co-pay for medications and bring
a copy of your insurance card with you to the pharmacy. Our physicians and nurse practitioners
can write prescriptions that can also be taken to local pharmacies. We do have a fairly
well-stocked medication room and dispense both over the counter and prescription medications
to ill students for a nominal fee after a student is evaluated. Payment for medications
can be by cash, using your Skid ID card (declining balance account) or by charging
it to your student account which gets sent home with your tuition bill.
Q. What do I do if I’m sick after Health Services has closed?
A. There is always a nurse practitioner on call for medical advice after the office has
closed. The on-call provider can be accessed by calling Campus Safety at 518-580-5566.
The Campus Safety dispatcher will then call the nurse practitioner who will call the
student back, it is not necessary to disclose your name or the nature of the call
to Campus Safety. Wilton Medical Arts Urgent Care Center is approximately 3 miles from campus and the Saratoga Hospital Emergency Room is approximately 1 mile from campus. Please view the websites for each to help you
decide whether to go to the ER or Urgent Care.
Q. Do antibiotics interfere with my birth control?
A. The actual incidence of pregnancy in women who take antibiotics while on birth control
pills is unknown. There have been few reports considering the huge number of women
who take birth control pills each year. However, there is a risk. For example, the
antibiotic rifampin will interact with your pill and other antibiotics may interact
(Penicillin, Amoxicillin, Bactrim, Tetracycline, Minocycline, Flagyl, and Nitrofurantoin).
Some women may be more susceptible than others to getting pregnant when taking both
antibiotics and birth control pills. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to predict which
women are at high risk. To help women avoid pregnancy while using an antibiotic and
for at least one week afterward- it is generally recommended that a female use a condom
or spermicide as a back-up method of birth control. Most women and physicians prefer
to err on the side of caution when it comes to antibiotics and birth control. Despite
the fact there is little evidence supporting a massive increase in pregnancies with
antibiotic use, it is better to be safe than sorry. A partner taking antibiotics will
not interfere with a woman’s use of birth control pills.
Q. Does Health Services sell the HPV vaccine, Gardasil?
A. Health Services does offer the vaccine for students. Gardasil is currently recommended
for females and males between the ages of 9-26 years. It is given as a 3-dose series:
1st Dose: at first appointment 2nd Dose: 2 months after Dose 1 3rd Dose: 6 months after Dose 1
At Health Services, the cost for Gardasil is $150.00 per dose ($450.00 for the complete 3 shot series). This cost may be paid by billing one’s student account, using a Skidmore ID debit card, or paying cash at the time of visit. Receipts will be provided upon request to submit to the student’s private health insurance for reimbursement. More and more insurances are now covering the cost of the vaccine. No appointment is necessary to receive Gardasil at Health Services. If a student has received the first and/or second doses of Gardasil from another health care provider, we ask that a copy of that immunization record be provided before subsequent doses are provided in Health Services.
Q. Are condoms available from Health Services?
A. Health Services sells condoms at a cost of 10/$1.00. The Center for Sex and Gender
Relations also sells condoms for the same price and distributes dental dams at no
charge. Non-latex condoms are sold there at a cost of 6/$5.00.
Q. Is there a nutritionist on campus?
A. There is a nutritionist on campus. Her name is Joanne Nangeroni and her office is
located in Health Services. She is here on a part-time basis and sees students by
appointment only. There is no charge to see Joanne. An appointment may be made by
calling Health Services at 518-580-5550.
Q. Do I need to have a physical every year?
A. As incoming freshman, students are required to have a physical performed by their
health care provider within 12 months of arrival on campus. For freshmen participating
in intercollegiate sports, there is an additional sports history form that needs to
be completed as well. Returning athletes are required to have a sports review that
will be done upon return to campus, prior to the beginning of the season. The sports
review provides an update on student athletes’ health status as well as a brief exam.
There is no physical examination requirement for upperclassmen not participating on
an athletic team.
Q. How long does Health Services keep a student’s records after they have graduated?
A. We are required to keep medical records for a total of 6 years after a student graduates.
After that, the records are destroyed and we no longer have access to that information.
It is recommended that prior to graduation you stop by and pick up a copy of your
immunization records.
Q. How does confidentiality work?
A. We take your confidentiality very seriously. We will not disclose any information
about you, including the fact that you have come to Health Services, to anyone without
your permission. In rare and very specific cases, we may be ethically and/or legally
obligated to break confidentiality. Exceptions to confidentiality include: if we judge
that you are at imminent risk for seriously hurting yourself or someone else, if you
tell us about any current instance of child or elder abuse or if we are court-ordered
by a judge to disclose records. If you have more questions about confidentiality,
we encourage you to ask your clinician.
Q. Do parents have access to health information?
A. According to federal privacy laws (HIPA, FERPA), parents do not have the right to
know if or why their son/daughter has visited Health Services. If you are 18 years
old or older and have given us written permission to discuss care with your parents,
we can talk to them about the issue(s) mentioned in the Release of Information form
signed by you. We cannot accept long-term, blanket Release of Information forms. Written
permission needs to be given each time a student wants us to discuss care with his/her
parents. Federal law requires this level of confidentiality.
