healthCARE

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REQUIRED VACCINATIONS

The vaccinations required and recommended by UMass Dartmouth are listed on the Health Services Office's Immunization Requirements webpage.

Importantly, incoming international students can get the vaccinations AFTER you are in the US (instead of in their home country), where they are cheap and/or free!

There is no charge to visit the Health Services Center because it is included in your tuition; they do not charge a co-pay for office visits. More info about Health Services Center fees can be found here.

Go to the Health Services Center only if you have a mildly bothersome health issue during business hours, a general question, need a routine vaccination or exam, or want a free condom.

HEALTH SERVICES CENTER AFTER HOURS

• The Health Services Center hours are listed on their Services webpage. 

• If the Health Services Center is closed, you can still speak with a Registered Nurse! Call the RN Telephone Advice line regarding your urgent problem at (508) 815-4588. Note: This is not an emergency service.

• For more info about what to do when the Health Services Center is closed, see their webpage.

• Check pharmacy websites for their prices on tablets vs. capsule format and dosage strengths, and then ask your doctor to write a prescription for that format & strength (but of course your doctor should still write the corrent instructions for you to take the proper dosage!)

  • It may be cheaper to get tablets instead of capsules, or capsules instead of tablets

  • For instance, Walmart has a $4 prescription program for certain formats and strengths: https://www.walmart.com/cp/4-prescriptions/1078664 

  • Tablets can be broken in half, but not capsules

  • It may be cheaper to get tablets of twice the dosage strength and then take 1/2 a tablet (instead of buying tablets for the correct strength and taking 1 tablet)

  • Also check Express Scripts mail-order medicine for long-term prescriptions (frequently their 90-day supplies are cheaper than a pharmacy): https://www.express-scripts.com/

  • You can also check out https://www.northwestpharmacy.com/ for mail-order prescriptions

  • Another mail-order pharmacy option is https://costplusdrugs.com

PHARMACIES

• Your doctor will either send the prescription directly to the pharmacy of your choice, or you can ask the doctor to give you the prescription so that you can take it to the pharmacy yourself.

• It usually takes a few hours for the pharmacist to fill a prescription.

  • If you need your medicine immediately, call the pharmacy and ask them to fill the prescription as quickly as possible.

  • If you drop off the prescription to the pharmacy, you can tell them that you would like to wait for it and then they will prioritize it.

  • Prioritized prescriptions usually take about 15 minutes to fill.

Here are some local pharmacies who can fill your prescription:

CVS Pharmacy (inside Target)

• • 479 State Rd, North Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • https://www.cvs.com/store-locator/cvs-pharmacy-address/479+State+Rd-North+Dartmouth-MA-02747/storeid=17247

Walgreens Pharmacy

• • 495 State Rd, North Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • https://www.walgreens.com/locator/walgreens-495+state+rd-north+dartmouth-ma-02747/id=11885

Walmart Pharmacy

• • 506 State Rd, North Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • https://www.walmart.com/store/2157/north-dartmouth-ma/details

Stop & Shop Pharmacy

• • 25 Faunce Corner Rd, Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • https://pharmacy.stopandshop.com/ma/dartmouth/25-faunce-corner-rd

MEDICAL SPECIALISTS

• See a specialist if you are having a very specific health issue with a particular part of your body or body system.

• Specialists are very specific to a particular type of medicine (such as neurology, urology, cardiology, podiatry, endocrinology, dermatology, physical therapy, chiropractic, etc.)

• Find a specialist who is in-network according to your health insurance by logging into your health insurance's website and searching for specialists.

  • Also check Google and Yelp reviews to make sure that a specialist meets your needs and preferences!

  • Seeing a specialist who is out-of-network may NOT be covered by your insurance, and is NOT recommended.

• The Health Services Center can provide referrals to specialists.

  • Note that the university's provided BCBS MA PPO health insurance does not require a referral to see a specialist.

PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN (PCP)

• It is best to "establish" with a PCP when you first move to a new area (such as when you first arrive at UMass Dartmouth), so that you have a doctor and they have your health records in case there is a future health concern. PCPs are also good to establish when you will be off-campus for awhile, like at a non-local internship over the summer and need a nearby doctor.

  • Note that the university's provided BCBS MA PPO health insurance does not require a PCP.

  • Regardless, some hospitals still won't schedule an appointment without a referral from a PCP.

• Establishing with a PCP typically takes 3-6 months, so start this process early and be patient! (no pun intended)

• Find a PCP by logging into your health insurance's website and browsing for a doctor who is in your network.

  • Search for "Primary Care Provider" (PCPs who are also categorized as Family Medicine or Internal Medicine are even better)

  • Also check the Yelp and Google reviews of the PCP, and their office!

  • Call a few PCP offices and ask them how long the wait is for new patients (it will typically be 3-6 months)

  • Make the appointment, then ALSO ask to be put on the wait list in case there are cancellations sooner

  • Get the fax number of the office, then contact your old doctor and have all of your health records sent to your new PCP. Your new doctor will definitely want to review your health history with you during your first appointment.

• With the university's provided BCBS MA health insurance, you will be charged a $30 co-pay each time you visit your PCP.

URGENT CARE CENTERS

• Go to an urgent care center if you are having an urgent health issue and you need medical care that same day, AND the Health Services Center (or your Primary Care Physician) isn't open or can't help. For example:

  • You need a chest X-ray TODAY

  • You need medicine immediately and it is a Friday night

• With the university's provided BCBS MA health insurance, you will be charged a $30 co-pay to go to an urgent care center, plus the cost of services, equipment, and/or medications. You may be charged several hundred dollars overall (with health insurance), and it will take a few months for the bill to arrive in the mail.

• It is a good idea to call several urgent care centers in advance to see how long the wait is before you go there.

• The Health Services Center can provide a taxi voucher for your travel to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room: https://www.umassd.edu/studentaffairs/health/when-health-services-is-closed/

Here are some nearby urgent care centers (info last updated on 3/20/2020):

Southcoast Health Urgent Care Center

• • 450 William S Canning Blvd Ste 2, Fall River, MA 02722

  • https://www.southcoast.org/locations/fall-river/

  • 3.0/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/southcoast-health-urgent-care-center-fall-river

  • 3.5/5 stars on Google

Hawthorn Medical Urgent Care

• • 531 Faunce Corner Rd, Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • http://www.hawthornmed.com/urgent-care-center/

  • 2.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hawthorn-medical-urgent-care-dartmouth

  • 3.9/5 stars on Google

AFC Urgent Care New Bedford

• • 119 Coggeshall St, New Bedford, MA 02746

  • https://www.afcurgentcare.com/new-bedford/

  • 1.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/afc-urgent-care-new-bedford-new-bedford

  • 4.4/5 stars on Google

Southcoast Health Urgent Care Center

• • 435 State Rd Rt 6, Dartmouth, MA 02747

  • https://www.southcoast.org/locations/dartmouth/

  • 1.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/southcoast-health-urgent-care-center-dartmouth

  • 3.6/5 stars on Google

• This is typically the most expensive health care option, even with health insurance. With the university's provided BCBS MA health insurance, you will be charged a $150 co-pay to go to an urgent care center, plus the cost of services and medications. You will likely be charged at least $1,000 overall (with health insurance), and it will take a few months for the bill to arrive in the mail.

• The Health Services Center can provide a taxi voucher for your travel to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room: https://www.umassd.edu/studentaffairs/health/when-health-services-is-closed/

Here are some nearby hospital emergency rooms (info last updated on 3/20/2020):

St. Anne's Hospital:

• • 795 Middle Street, Fall River, MA 02721

  • https://www.saintanneshospital.org/

  • 3.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/saint-annes-hospital-fall-river-2

  • 3.9/5 stars on Google

The Miriam Hospital:

• • 164 Summit Ave, Providence, RI 02906

  • https://www.miriamhospital.org/

  • 3.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/miriam-hospital-providence

  • 3.2/5 stars on Google

Charlton Memorial Hospital:

• • 363 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720

  • https://www.southcoast.org/locations/charlton-memorial-hospital/

  • 3.0/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/charlton-memorial-hospital-fall-river

  • 2.9/5 stars on Google

St. Luke's Hospital:

• • 101 Page Street, New Bedford, MA 02740

  • https://www.southcoast.org/locations/st-lukes-hospital/

  • 2.5/5 stars on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/st-lukes-hospital-new-bedford

  • 2.4/5 stars on Google

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INFO TO ADD (RAW NOTES)

1) It’s a good idea to establish with a PCP if you have more than mild health care needs, such as a chronic medical condition that needs to be monitored and/or managed, if you will be living or working in the same location more than a year, if you are older, etc. However, the wait time to establish as a new patient is several months long, so start early. After you are established with a PCP, later if you get sick you can see them (or a Physician’s Assistant) within a day or two. How to find a PCP… However, you might not want to establish with a PCP if the Health Services Center on main campus meets your needs; they are free (there’s no co-pay for any services they offer), they are conveniently located on main campus, you can see the same Nurse Practitioner whenever you visit, they can do bloodwork, they have same-day appointments, they can refer you to a specialist, they can write prescriptions (but may be more hesitant to do so), etc. However, they can’t provide much non-prescription medication (mainly just ibuprofen), and they are closed during the winter break. If you need to see a doctor urgently but your appointment is several months away, you can call their office weekly to ask for a sooner appointment, next available date, or cancellation. Also, the Health Services Center offers a basic annual physical for free, including blood work!

2) For vision insurance, you can purchase glasses frames online, like through Zenni Optical or Glasses USA, that are much more affordable than the frames sold through an optometrist. Take the paper prescription from your optometrist and enter the numbers from that prescription into the website to order prescription glasses online instead of through the optometrist. You can also get multiple pairs of JUST frames, so that if your frames break you can simply switch out the lenses into your second pair of frames. You can also order a few different styles of frames and try them on to see which ones you like best. You can also purchase JUST the lenses from Walmart Optical, bring them your frames and the prescription and they will make the lenses for you (including any special coatings you may want). They will also help fit the frames to your face comfortably, for free and however many times you need them adjusted.

3) You can get a $150 annual fitness reimbursement from your health insurance for a gym membership like at the New Bedford YMCA.

4) Vitamin D deficiency is VERY common in the winter, especially for people who used to live in sunny climates. Take a vitamin D supplement every day, especially in the winter!