The mission of the health center is to enhance the academic environment of Colby by providing quality health care, health education, and preventive services to students in a caring, cost effective, and convenient manner. The center provides a bridge for the health care needs of our students as they transition away from home, often for the first time. The health center emphasizes preventive and outpatient care.
The health center is available to all students at no cost for routine visits and services. The center is staffed by a physician, a physician’s assistant, a nurse practitioner, a physical therapist, a lab technician, and experienced registered nurses and office staff. A registered dietician as well as a board certified psychiatrist are also available for consultation.
Students who need emergency care or more specialized attention are sent to MaineGeneral Medical Center, a major hospital within a mile of Colby that serves all of central Maine.
Colby Emergency Response (CER) is a group of students trained as radio-dispatched Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who respond to health emergencies on campus. This network ensures that all accident/illness victims on campus are assisted swiftly and skillfully.
Appointments with the medical practitioners are available weekdays during business hours for students who wish to schedule an appointment or who are referred by a nurse. Students can use the walk-in clinic to see the nurse if they are sick during the day or after hours. Students also see the nurse to have injuries evaluated, get allergy shots, or arrange for immunizations for travel abroad.
At least six weeks before matriculating, all students are required to submit a completed medical history and physical examination report from a physical performed within the previous 12 months, including a certificate of immunization that includes two doses of measles mumps and rubella vaccine as well as tetanus, polio, and meningitis vaccinations. Without this form on file, students will be refused care at the center, barred from athletics, and prohibited from registering. A copy of a comparable report is acceptable for students transferring from another institution. Those who object to receiving medical treatment such as immunization on the basis of religious belief may be exempted from the College requirements upon presentation of documentation from their personal physician and the signing of appropriate release forms.
For those students involved in varsity sports the following additional medical requirement applies: prior to participation in any practice, competition, or out-of-season conditioning activities, student athletes who are beginning their initial season of eligibility shall be required to undergo a medical examination or evaluation administered or supervised by a physician. The examination or evaluation must be administered within six months prior to participation in any practice, competition, or out-of-season conditioning activities.
There is no charge for any consultation or examination in the health center or for physical therapy. There is no charge for accident/trauma care at the health center. Any health care services provided outside of the health center are the student’s responsibility. The health center will assist students in seeking care in the local Waterville area.
There is a charge for all medications obtained at the health center. Students are expected to pay at the time they obtain the medication. They may pay with the ColbyCard, cash, or check.
There is no charge for most lab work done in the health center lab, including urinalysis, throat culture, monospot, and hematocrit. The hospital will charge for lab tests that are drawn in the health center and sent to them.
Colby offers comprehensive women’s health services, including contraceptive options; pregnancy testing and counseling; screening, treatment, and referral for illness; pelvic exams; and PAP smears.
Several types of contraceptives are available to students. Condoms and emergency contraceptive pills are available at the health center 24 hours a day.
