Preparing your students to navigate their healthcare needs – and the role of Deacon Health
CONGRATULATIONS, INCOMING FAMILIES!
Your student has made it through their K-12 education and they have made it to college! You, as families and loved ones, have been a huge part of getting them here. Deacon Health is here to help keep your students as healthy as possible. When they are sick, we’ll do everything we can to get them back to 100%. But more importantly, Deacon Health will provide your students with the essential knowledge and skills to form lifelong habits that lead to sustained wellbeing.
Deacon Health functions as your students’ Primary Care Physicians during their time at Wake Forest. Experts in college student medicine, our board-certified providers can perform an array of services, including primary care visits, care for acute illnesses and minor injuries, STI screening and treatment. Students also have access to immunizations, X-Ray, pharmacy, and laboratory services at our facility. If a student has a complex case, we can and will collaborate with established local providers when needed.
We want to help new families get your students ready to navigate their healthcare needs. We hope this information will help you – and them – with the transition to having students being in charge of their own healthcare.
The following are things it would be helpful to do this summer before your student comes to school:
Make sure your student is aware of their medical history, including allergies to medications, if they have seen a specialist for a certain condition, etc. Knowing their medical history will help your student be able to talk more effectively with their care providers: by giving their healthcare team accurate information about their medical history, that can help providers know what to look for re: chronic conditions, allergies, potential drug interactions, and more.
If your student has ongoing chronic conditions, please have your student make an appointment with Deacon Health for a well visit to get established with our office. It is most helpful for our providers to see students managing chronic conditions when they are well, not sick; this allows us to discuss the condition, go over previous treatment/care, etc. This will also help us connect with a local specialist if needed or consult with their home specialist without managing additional illness at the same time.
Help your student understand the basics of navigating a doctor’s appointment independently:
- Students must call to make their own medical appointments if they are over 18. In the event they do not see any appointments in the Deacon Health portal, they should call the office and follow the prompts to speak to the Front Desk to see if there are any additional appointments.
- Students should always carry their insurance card to medical appointments (or have a photo of both sides of the card on their phone). While Deacon Health does not accept insurance or file claims, students must have either their insurance card (or the information from the card saved on their phone) if they go to see providers off campus (e.g., urgent care, a dermatologist, outpatient imaging, or the Emergency Department).
- Students must show up on time to scheduled appointments. Late arrivals could require rescheduling the appointment and/or a late charge. At Deacon Health and off-campus providers alike, medical appointments are tightly scheduled.
- Students should arrive at Deacon Health 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment to have time to complete the check-in process. Late arrivals will incur a late charge and could be rescheduled.
- If a student forgets an appointment or is a no-show, they will be charged a cancellation fee. While the cancellation/no show fee at Deacon Health is low, that cost can be significant at an off-campus provider. Getting students used to being responsible for remembering appointments now, while the stakes are lower (but they still have some skin in the game) will help avoid unpleasant surprises with off-campus providers.
- Most medical visits require payment at the time of service.
- Most services at Deacon Health are covered by the Student Health Fee. However, there are some discounted “fee-for-service” charges for medications, laboratory tests, observation care, procedures and some supplies. Payment can be made by cash, check, credit/debit cards, Student Blue Insurance, or charged to the student’s account.
- For off-campus providers, students will need to bring a form of payment (typically cash or credit/debit card) to pay for their appointment.
- Keep their receipts and paperwork. It is important to keep medical records of treatment, and if your student is on your insurance plan (as opposed to Student Blue), you will need a copy of the receipt so you can submit a claim.
Prepare a medicine kit for their room
It’s always a good idea to send essential items with them to school for when they get sick because they will get sick at some point! Here are some suggestions:
Basic first aid supplies
- thermometer
- Band-Aids
- antibiotic ointment
- gauze pads
- eye drops
- ice pack that can stay in their freezer
- heating pad (or warmies that can be put in microwave)
- A & D ointment helps with chaffing
Over-the-counter medicines
- pain medicine/fever reducer (Note: Deacon Health also has over-the-counter medications that students can purchase if needed)
- Benadryl/antihistamines
- cold and cough medicine
- cough drops
- digestive meds (anti-diarrheal, heartburn, etc.)
Other items
- A supply of any prescription medications they take regularly (may transfer RX to Deacon Health or get re-fills)
- At-home COVID test(s)
- A supply of replenishing drinks (such as Gatorade)
- Food (when not feeling well) they could eat in the room without a lot of preparation (soup, crackers, granola bars, apple sauce packets, etc.). Those could sit, untouched, in a container in their closet or under the bed so they’d be ready when your Deac needs them (and does not want to have to go to the Pit to get lunch or dinner).
- Liquid IV Hydration or many other brands (powder to put in water to help hydration)
- Moist Wipes for the bottom (do not flush)
Having these items on hand will help them when they are not feeling well. But of course, Deacon Health is also here to help them if they need us!