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 offer emergency contraception?
Q. Are condoms available from Health Services?
Q. Do I need to have a physical every year?
Q. What do I do if I have food allergies?
Q. How long does Health Services keep a student's record after they have graduated?
Q. How does confidentiality work?
Q. Do parents have access to health information?
Q. Does Health Services administer allergy shots?
Q. Can Health Services draw blood for my home provider?
Q. Can Health Services administer my injectable medication?
Q. Can Health Services store my medication?
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. See policy for more information.
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 providers can electronically
prescribe medications and prescriptions that can be sent to the pharmacy of your choosing.
We have a fairly well-stocked medication room and dispense many both over-the-counter
and prescription medications 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 tuition bill as a "Health Services Fee" (no specific medical
information would appear on your tuition bill).
Q. What do I do if I’m sick after Health Services has closed?
A. There is always a provider on call for urgent 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 provider 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 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.
For non-emergent care, you can consider self-scheduling an appointment or submitting an appointment request for next day nurse follow up.
Q. Do antibiotics interfere with my birth control?
A. Studies have shown that hormonal birth control is not affected by most antibiotics except rifampin (an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis). It is safe,
and recommended, to continue taking your hormonal birth control while on antibiotics
and it will continue to be effective.
Q. Does Health Services offer emergency contraception?
A.Yes, please see our Sexual and Reproductive Health page for details. Emergency contraception is also available at no cost in the Wellness
Center.
Q. Are condoms available from Health Services?
A. Health Services offers free condoms! Stop in any time to pick them up.
Q. Do I need to have a physical every year?
A. As incoming first years, students are required to have a physical performed by their
home medical provider within 24 months of arrival on campus. There is no physical
examination requirement for returning students not participating on an athletic team.
See additional requirements for NCAA student-athletes (both incoming and returning).
Q. How can students access their health records after they have graduated?
A.Health Services currently uses an electronic medical record. Students and alumni can
access some of their record (ex: immunization record) through the Health Services Portal. The login is the same as your Skidmore email.
Students who were never established with multifactor authentication will not have access to portal records but may call Health Services at 518-580-5550 to request records.
Students who attended Skidmore prior to initiation of the electronic medical record (2016) had paper records. These records were kept for 6 years and then destroyed.
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 (HIPPA, FERPA), parents or guardians do not have the right to know if or why their studenthas visited Health Services. If a student is 18 years old or older, we will only discuss their care with a parent/guardian if a Release of Information is signed, giving us written permission to discuss specific information with them. We cannot accept long-term, blanket Release of Information forms. Written permission must be provided each time a student would like us to discuss care with their/his/herparent/guardian/other medical provider. Federal law requires this level of confidentiality.
Q. Does Health Services administer allergy shots?
A. Health Services is not able to administer allergy shots. Please refer to a local
provider who can administer allergy shots:
- Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- Certified Allergy & Asthma Consultants
Q. What do I do if I have food allergies?
A. Dining Services strives to support students with any food allergy. To help students
navigate food options safely, Dining Services representatives are available to meet
with students and parents to review menus, recipes, labels and alternate food choices
for those with specific dietary needs.
Please feel free to contact Dining Services at 518-580-5850.
Dining Services Food Allergy Guidelines
Q. Can Health Services draw blood for my home provider?
A. Yes. Health Services has the ability to collect most samples ordered by home providers. Students should submit the lab order to Health Services for review prior to scheduling an appointment. The order should contain: Student name, DOB, tests ordered, date of order, fax number of the office the result is to be sent to, and be signed by a provider. NOTE: If the labs are to be drawn at regular intervals, the requisition should also include specific instructions about the interval. A nurse will evaluate the requisition to determine if Health Services has all the necessary equipment. The nurse will reach out to the student to either schedule an appointment in Health Services or discuss a lab draw at another location. Students must have their insurance information at the time of service.
Alternate locations for lab services include: Labcorp (Church St) or Wilton Medical Arts (Route 50, Wilton, NY) both within 5 miles of campus.
Q. Can Health Services administer my injectable medication?
A. Yes. Health Services can assist with the administration of injectable medication for a limited period of time. Health Services MUST have a valid order from the prescribing provider prior to administering the medication. The order must include the students’ name, date of birth, dose and frequency of the medication to be administered. The order will be evaluated by a Health Services provider. See our Injectable Medication Administration page for additional information. NOTE: Health Services CANNOT administer initial doses or loading doses.
Q. Can Health Services store my medication?
A. No. Health Services is unable to store medications for students, including refrigerated medications.