International Students

Dial 911 and the dispatcher, the person who answers the phone, will gather some brief information on you, your medical need and location. They will then send an ambulance to your location to take you to a local hospital. There is a charge for this service, but the UNH Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) will cover most of the cost of transportation by ambulance for you or family members covered by the plan.

Visit our?Emergency & After-Hours Care page.

The closest hospital is Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire which is about 15 ¨C 20 minutes away from Durham. Please know that if you go to an emergency room for minor health problems, you will probably have a long wait and a large bill. Whenever possible use services provided by Health & Wellness.?Visit our?Emergency & After-Hours Care page?for more information

Health & Wellness has a variety of health care providers:

• Medical Providers:?Health & Wellness uses the terms clinicians and health care providers to refer to both our physicians and nurse practitioners.
• Physicians/Doctors: A physician/doctor is someone licensed to practice medicine. Our physicians provide primary health care and can diagnosis and treat illnesses. Physicians can have various areas of specialized training. Here at Health & Wellness, we have physicians who have training in internal medicine and?family medicine.
• Nurse Practitioners: A nurse practitioner is a nurse with advanced training. Nurse practitioners¡¯ education and experience enables them to diagnose and manage common acute and chronic illnesses, do screenings, diagnostic testing and prescribe medications. A nurse practitioner focuses on wellness and prevention and provides continuous and comprehensive health care which includes the coordination of all services necessary for the prevention and treatment of disease and disability. Nurse Practitioners at Health & Wellness are certified and licensed as Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in the state of New Hampshire.

Clinical Support Staff

• Registered Nurses: A registered nurse (RN) has graduated from a two or four-year program of nursing and is trained to assess, evaluate, but not treat medical problems. The focus of a registered nurse is to educate patients concerning their illnesses. A registered nurse can administer injections, perform a variety of diagnostic tests, care for wounds and assist medical clinicians.
• Health Resource Nurses: A health resource nurse is usually a registered nurse who has had additional experience in assessment skills. They are?trained to prioritize patients (based on severity of illness/injury), who call or come in?for care. After assessment, the health resource nurse either gives advice regarding how to care for oneself or will make an appointment for a patient to see a clinician, depending on the severity or urgency of the problem.
• Licensed Practical Nurses: A licensed practical nurse (LPN) has graduated from an accredited practical nursing program and works under the direction of a registered nurse, nurse practitioner and/or physician. They are?trained to assess, evaluate, educate and assist in patient care. They can also administer injections and perform a variety of procedures and diagnostic tests.
• Medical Assistants: A medical assistant completes a two-year training program, and is trained to assist medical clinicians in basic tasks. A medical assistant is not trained to give medical advice, but can follow orders given by a clinician such as giving injections, taking vital signs, performing certain diagnostic tests.
• Radiologic Technologists: A radiologic technologist is trained to take x-rays to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries.

Living Well Services Staff:

• Nutrition Counselor: A registered dietitian with expertise in food, nutrition and eating disorders. In the U.S., dietitians are registered with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and are only able to use the label "dietitian" when they have met strict, specific educational and experiential prerequisites and passed a national registration examination.
• Alcohol, Nicotine,?and Other Drug Educator/Counselor: Provide education on campus and meet with students individually to discuss concerns about one¡¯s own or another¡¯s use of alcohol and/or other drugs. These counselors are also available to work with those who want to quit smoking or using tobacco products.
• Well-Being Coaches: Provide education on campus and are available to meet individually with students to discuss concerns, provide information, teach skill-building and offer support in areas such as stress, sexuality, sleep, nutrition and how to take care of yourself.
• Massage Therapists: A licensed massage therapist (LMT) is a professional whose role in the field of health is treatment of soft tissues and body joints primarily by performing therapeutic massage. The goals of therapeutic massage are general wellness, injury recovery, stress management and preventive care.

Other Staff

• Health & Wellness also has administrative staff members who provide support to the many healthcare providers and to students.

Much of the care you receive at Health & Wellness is covered by the health fee which is part of the mandatory fees all students are required to pay with tuition. If you receive care that is not covered by the health fee, Health & Wellness can bill your Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP). Under the SHBP, there is a co-payment (a portion of the overall cost for the visit) that you would be responsible for paying, but not until after the SHBP has been billed.

Having adequate health insurance ensures that a student will be able to receive medical care beyond what is available on campus without worrying about how to pay for that care.

The Health Fee is part of the UNH Health and Counseling Fee which covers on-campus services offered at Health & Wellness and Psychological and Counseling Services (PACS). When combined with a student's health insurance plan, a student is provided a complete health care package. The services that are available on the UNH Durham campus are broad, but there are limits. Having adequate health insurance ensures that a student will be able to receive the care that he or she needs - beyond the scope available on campus ¨C without worrying about how to pay for that care. A student¡¯s health insurance company is never billed for services covered by the Health Fee. Health & Wellness provides some services that are not covered by the Health Fee. If requested, these chargeable services can be billed to the Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP).

For questions regarding the Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP), you can contact Arlene Bisson, Business Operations & Student Health Benefits Plan Specialist at Health & Wellness at (603) 862-0066.

Different countries have different laws about which medications may be sold without a prescription from a medical provider. Here, in the United States, medications available without a prescription are called, "non-prescription" or "over-the counter" medications and are available at pharmacies, supermarkets and other stores.?Some remedies you brought from home may not be available in the United States or may be sold at a different strength or may require a prescription from a medical provider. Please talk with a pharmacist. They can answer questions about non-prescription and prescription medications.

Yes, you can bring medication from your home country to the United States as long as the medication has a legally recognized use in this country.

To obtain more medication you would have to get a prescription written by a clinician that is licensed in the United States. That prescription could then be filled at a pharmacy of your choice.

Health & Wellness does not provide dental care. If this is needed, we can refer you to a local dentist (tooth doctor). The Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) does not provide coverage for dental care, but can save you money on dental services obtained by providers within the Basix network. Any cost for this service will need to be provided by you at the time of the appointment.

Health & Wellness does not provide routine eye exams for visual problems and does not provide eyeglasses or contact lenses. The Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) does not provide coverage for these services, but can save you money through the Davis Vision Affinity Discount Program. Students save money on eye wear, eye exams and other services at locations nationwide. Any costs for these services will need to be paid by you at the time of the appointment.

Our health care providers can assist with eye symptoms such as eye pain, redness, discharge or anything else that might indicate an acute eye problem.

By law, the information you share with Health & Wellness staff must be kept confidential. We are not permitted to contact your family, friends or anyone else to discuss your medical condition, illness, symptoms or treatment without your written permission. There are only rare exceptions where we can share information about you, or are required by law to do so, for example if you make a serious threat of physical violence towards yourself or another person.