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. 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 physicians and nurse practitioners
can electronically prescribe medications and prescriptions which can be sent to the
pharmacy of your choosing. 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 provider 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 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 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. 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. Return to top ^
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 the vending machine on
the 2nd floor of Case or may be purchased over-the-counter at most local pharmacies.
Q. Are condoms available from Health Services?
A. Health Services sells condoms at a cost of 10/$1.00. The Student Wellness Center also
sells condoms for the same price and distributes dental dams at no charge. Non-latex
condoms are sold there at a cost of 8/$1.00.
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
health care provider within 12 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 (incoming and upperclassmen returning students.
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 attended Skidmore prior to initiation of the electronic medical record (2016) had paper records. These records were kept for 6 years and then destroyed. As of 2023 Health Services maintains no paper medical 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 (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 a 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 provide culturally diverse, healthy food options to all
students. This can be difficult for some students, especially those with food allergies.
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