Join Columbia Health?

Dear Outsider,

Welcome to Columbia! There is no need to "join," if you're a student at CU, Columbia Health on the Morningside campus and the Student Health Service on the Medical Center campus are here for you!

All full-time students are automatically billed for  the Columbia Health fee (Morningside) or the Student Health Service fee (CUMC) ,which gives you access to on-campus health programs and services. Part-time students at either campus will not be automatically charged, but may opt in if they so choose. Some of the on-campus services and programs you may access through Columbia Health include:

• Medical Services, which provides comprehensive primary care, women's health care, and urgent care services.
• Counseling and Psychological Services, which offers counseling for Columbia students, as well as support groups, prescription management, couples counseling, and referrals for continuing mental health care.
• Alice! Health Promotion, which seeks to make the campus healthier by connecting students with information and resources, cultivating healthy attitudes and behaviors, and fostering a culture that values and supports a healthy community.
• Disability Services, which empowers students with disabilities to realize their academic and personal potential by facilitating equal access and coordinating reasonable accommodations and support services for eligible students.
• Sexual Violence Response, which provides comprehensive and integrated education, support, and advocacy about sexual and relationship violence.

On the Medical Center campus, students may access similar services, including medical, mental health, health promotion, and specialty care services.  

In regards to your specific questions, you can schedule medical appointments, including annual exams for women, at Medical Services (Morningside) or the Student Health Service (CUMC). For mental health care, you can contact Counseling and Psychological Services (Morningside) or the Mental Health Service (CUMC) for an appointment.

Columbia also requires all students to carry adequate insurance coverage (which would cover costs associated with any health care you receive off-campus, such as emergency care, prescriptions, specialist provider visits, surgery, etc.). For this reason, full-time students are also automatically enrolled in the Columbia Student Health Insurance Plan at both the Morningside and Medical Center campuses. One important note: You must get a referral before visiting an off-campus health care provider; otherwise the Columbia plan will not reimburse you for your costs. You may receive a referral depending on your specific needs. The only exception is in emergencies; in a true emergency you do not need a referral to visit your nearest emergency room.

Good luck staying healthy!