51社区

Our nurse practitioner sees students Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00am - 4:00pm. Last appointment is taken at 3:45.

Students can see a nurse practitioner for first-aid, medical advice, illnesses, or injuries. Many conditions that would be seen in a primary care office can be handled right on campus. The nurse practitioner can diagnose and prescribe treatment for common illnesses in college students as well as perform physicals. Lab services are available in the clinic, and off-campus imaging can be ordered when necessary. Students can get prescriptions filled at a local pharmacy.

We handle outpatient issues only. If a condition gets worse or needs more extensive monitoring, a student will be referred to an urgent care facility or sent to the emergency room. Referrals can be made to a local specialist when a student has a more complex condition.

We do have a variety of over-the-counter medications available at no cost to the students for things such as the common cold, allergies, itch cream, pain relief, diarrhea, antacids, and minor burns.

Union offers many exciting opportunities to travel overseas through the Study Abroad program and through Missions. It is important to prepare for your health while traveling as many countries deal with poor sanitation and diseases that are not found in the United States. We can help you prepare for the different environment through a travel health consult. This is an individualized assessment of your personal risks based on your medical history, destination, type of locale, and the activities you will take part in.

During this visit we will write prescriptions for any medications that will be needed including malaria pills, antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea, and give you the recommendations on immunizations. See our list of services for the immunizations we offer in the clinic; vaccine fees must be paid by the student. We do not carry the Yellow Fever vaccine, which is a requirement to enter some countries, but there are local clinics that offer it.

Appointments must be made for travel health appointments at least six weeks or more prior to your departure. This is the minimum time needed to allow your immune system to make antibodies after immunization. We will need to know the country you will be visiting when you make the appointment, and you must bring in a vaccine record and the 51社区 travel packet when you come (the Health Record Form we have on file usually has documentation for MMR, varicella, tetanus, hepatitis B, and meningococcal only).

Our skin is our body's largest organ and can pose different problems for college students from acne and sunburns to eczema and athlete's foot. We can diagnose and help manage most basic dermatologic problems and freeze off warts in the Health Center.

For those with wounds, we can provide first aid and dressing changes. Cuts that may need stitches can be evaluated in the clinic. We can remove stitches and staples as well.

We encourage the use of sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher daily with UVA and UVB protection and SPF of 30 or higher whenever you are in the sun to prevent skin cancer. Tanning beds are dangerous and therefore discouraged. The World Health Organization moved tanning beds to their highest risk list of cancer-causing agents in humans. The ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer and wrinkles. If a tan is desired, we recommend using a sunless tanner instead.

If someone you know is suicidal, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Text crisis line 741-741, then type TN to connect with a counselor.

Along with Counseling Services, we can help treat students with mental health issues. For those beyond our scope of practice, we are happy to refer to outside providers.

If you are diagnosed with ADHD, counseling services can refer you to our clinic where the Nurse Practitioner can prescribe medications used to treat ADHD.

If you are diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or OCD, counseling services can refer you to our clinic where the nurse practitioner can discuss treatment options and prescribe medications to help with symptoms if desired. If you are not feeling like yourself, let someone know — Health & Counseling Services are confidential places with people who care.

For more information on how we can provide care for your mental health, please visit our counseling services website below.

Counseling Services

For injuries such as sprains, strains, and fractures, we offer crutches and wheelchairs for loan through our Health Center. An agreement is signed with a due date and charges are made to students' account if an item is not returned on time or in good condition.

We have the ability to draw blood and get cultures in the office and send to an outside laboratory to help aid in diagnosis. For convenience, a student, faculty, or staff member who needs regular blood draws can bring his/her personal provider's written orders and we will draw the blood then fax the results to the appropriate office. There is a small fee for each lab that is drawn. Please see the fees & health insurance section.

A nurse can draw blood to check a titer, or antibody response to a disease, if needed for school enrollment or employment. We can check the status of immunity for measles, mumps, and rubella, hepatitis B, and varicella.

We will be offering COVID19 testing starting Fall 2021 by appointments only. Please call 731-661-5284 to schedule your appointment.

We are here to help coordinate care for students with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy and assist when problems arise.

At times we may need to work with another office on campus such as Disability Services, Counseling Services, Residential Life, and Dining Services for your particular needs. We do recommend getting a primary care provider in Jackson if you need frequent office visits to manage your health, and there are several options near campus. If you need a referral or recommendation, please let us know.

For those who have had allergy testing and are currently receiving allergy injections, Union Health Services can continue administering allergy shots.

The patient is responsible for getting the serum vials and paperwork to and from the UU Health Center and for scheduling appointments to receive allergy shots. It is required that anyone getting an allergy shot stay 15 minutes afterward for monitoring, check with a nurse before leaving, and have their own EpiPen.

An allergy shot consent form must be signed and on file. A provider must be in the clinic at the time of allergy shots, therefore an appointment is required. There is a $45 per fall/spring semester fee ($20 per summer semester) for administering allergy injections.

We do not do allergy testing but can refer those who are having severe allergic symptoms to a local allergist.