Q & A

The On-campus Student Health Pharmacy does offer Emergency Contraception for all U of I students, without a prescription if you are 17 years or older.  We verify age via driver’s license.  No appointment is necessary to obtain it without a prescription and students can come by the pharmacy anytime during business hours (9am to noon and 12:30pm to 3pm M-F). 

Currently, we offer two products:  Plan B One Step (a one-time dose)and Levonorgestrel (one tablet now and one tablet 12 hours later).  Prices vary depending on which type you choose and whether or not you have a prescription.  If a prescription is obtained from a doctor, your insurance can be billed.  Some insurance companies cover it and prices depend on the insurance plan.  Our Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) currently charges a co-pay.  Our retail price for Plan B One-Step is $56.41 + tax and the Levonorgestrel is $50.77 + tax.  With a prescription and SHIP insurance, the co-pay would be $30.00 for Plan B One Step or $15.00 for Levonorgestrel. 

Emergency Contraception(EC) is not intended to be the primary method of birth control, but is available if needed.  Free condoms are available at the Student Health Clinic and an appointment can be made with one of their providers to discuss other birth control options.      

EC can be used up to 120 hours, or five days, after unprotected intercourse, but it's more effective the sooner it's taken.

EC is also available at most pharmacies and Planned Parenthood.  The price varies by region and pharmacy.

For more information about where to get the EC closest to you, call the Emergency Contraception Hotline from anywhere in the United States at 1.888.NOT.2.LATE (1.888.668.2.5283).

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Feeling homesick is completely normal when you are trying to adjust to a brand new environment.  The good news is you are not alone...and there are people here to help.  Though it may seem like everyone else has it all together and is having the time of their life, it is likely that many of your peers are feeling the same way that you are.
Here are a few tips that might help you feel a little more at home away from home:

• Get involved in some of the activities on campus: attend a campus event, join a student organization, join an intramural team, or join a wellness class at the SRC.
• Find someone to talk to: Talk to your roommate, your RA, a professor...or call our counseling center at 885-6716 to set up an appointment just to chat.
• If you are struggling during the evening or weekend hours, you can call our on-call counselor 885-6716.  Available 24-hours per day.

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Eating well can be a challenge, and eating with a food allergy can seem extremely difficult.  Bob’s Place, our Resident Dining Facility, as well as our numerous retail locations on campus, all offer many choices to accommodate gluten-free, vegetarian, non-dairy, nut allergies, vegan and other special dietary needs.  If you are ever uncertain about what we offer, ask our helpful and friendly staff.  You can always call the Campus Dietitian, for specific nutrition counseling at (208) 885-6717.  Also, feel free e-mail our Executive Chef or call (208) 885-6070.

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Contraception in a variety of forms is available here on campus.  Our Student Health Clinic is a great resource to find the best fit for you.  Make an appointment with one of our providers to discuss your options, and you can get your prescription filled right here at our campus pharmacy. 

Remember that hormonal forms of birth control (pills, IUD, shots, etc) do not protect against STI's.  Free condoms are available at the Student Health Clinic and the Women's Center.

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

First of all, if you think that you have an STI, you need to get tested and treated to prevent long-term damage, and prevent spreading it to others.  I understand that this may be a difficult conversation to have with your parents, so there are some options. 

• If you are covered on your parent's insurance plan, there will likely be an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) sent home (to the primary policy holder) after a visit to a medical facility stating the visit, the provider, and possibly some details listed with the charges.  It is your right to call your insurance company and ask that they send that EOB directly to you in order to maintain privacy.
• You can choose not to use your insurance and request to pay cash for the appointment.
• You can visit Planned Parenthood in Pullman without insurance for testing and treatment.

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Yes.  Prescription birth control requires an office visit with a medical provider. 

Without a medical visit, you can purchase condoms at many local retailers, or have access to free condoms at the Student Health Clinic and the Women's Center.

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Great question.  There's actually good news around this topic (but I'll warn you, the answer isn't necessarily simple).  As of August 1, 2012 the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) requires new health insurance plans to cover all FDA-approved birth control methods without co-pays or deductibles because birth control is a recommended preventive service under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which means most health insurance plans have to cover it without out-of-pocket costs.  This means you'll have access to all FDA-approved birth control methods, along with contraceptive counseling, STI screening, regular "well-women" check-ups, and other important preventive services starting whenever your health insurance plan is renewed. All of that will be fully covered by insurance without any additional out-of-pocket costs.

A few things to note.

• Some insurance plans renew after August 1, 2012, so the change might not apply to your plan right away.
• Some health insurance plans will be exempt. Health insurance plans that have maintained "grandfathered" status, as well as plans offered by churches and houses of worship, won't have to cover these services. The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) has details on what it means if your plan is grandfathered in case you want more info on that mysterious term.
• Religiously-affiliated institutions, including some colleges and universities, will have until August 1, 2013, to comply and even then won't be required to directly cover these services. (HHS is currently figuring out the best way to accommodate these institutions while still making sure coverage is available for women on these plans.)
• Generic options are covered, brand names may not be included. The rule will allow plans to control costs by, for example, continuing to charge co-pays for branded drugs if a safe, effective generic alternative is available.

Though this may not be the simple answer that you were looking for, the best way to find out whether or when you'll benefit from the new requirement is to call YOUR INSURANCE provider and ask. 

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

Thank you for your question on a really important subject.  The goal of the tobacco policy survey is to find out what the campus community thinks about changing the policy.  There have been several small surveys administered to target groups over the past several months, and we need to get a large sample size that better represents our entire campus so we are working to get the word out through advertisements. The advertisements for the tobacco survey were not meant to show bias toward tobacco users. The advertisements do illustrate some of the issues related to tobacco use on campus, such as the impacts of litter, second hand smoke exposure and the lack of enforcement of current tobacco policies.

Thank you for your input, we take your remarks seriously and will make any necessary changes to eliminate bias in our survey advertisement. 

Information offered by Vandal Health Education is not meant to replace advice given by your health care provider. If you have a serious medical condition, please seek assistance from your local health care provider or Student Health Services. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.