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APRIL OVERSTREET: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for family orientation. My name is April Overstreet, and I am the interim director of New Student Programs. We appreciate you being with us today for our Health and Well-Being session. Before we begin, I would ask if everyone would please silence your phones. We greatly appreciate it.
For today's session, I am joined by my colleagues from various areas of campus who are experts on health and well-being topics and our first speaker will be Dr. Sharon McMullen. Sharon is going to give you some insight about Cornell Health and the many services and resources available. So I'd like to introduce and welcome Dr. Sharon McMullen.
[APPLAUSE]
SHARON MCMULLEN: Hello. Thanks for being here today, and welcome to Cornell. My name is Sharon McMullen, and I'm assistant vice president of Student and Campus Life for Health and Well-Being. And I have the privilege of supporting Cornell Health. I'm also the mother of two relatively recent college graduates, including one current third-year medical student. And I remember well when both of our children went off to college.
This is such an important time in a family. And I'm glad to be here with you today. So I'm going to share with you some information about the resources that your student can expect while they're at Cornell to support their health and well-being. Student and Campus Life is the division into which Cornell Health belongs. And we are the central hub on campus for student health and well-being.
This is a picture of our building. The Cornell Health building is at 110 Ho Plaza. So if you know where the clock tower is, and you know where all of those tables and tents are set up right now, Cornell Health is just on the other side of those tables and tents. So we're centrally located.
And we offer an extensive array of services. Here are some of the many college health professionals that I have the privilege of working with. These folks come from all areas of the health domains. And we recognize our students as whole persons with varying degrees and dimensions of well-being and with multiple intersecting identities. We respect and value the differences and diversity that our students bring to us. And we continually strive for cultural competence and inclusivity and anti-racism.
Our students can search our website to look for the bios of our staff members and read about, see a picture of them, read about their specialties, and are able to schedule appointments in that way as well. We take a campus-wide approach to mental health. And this is guided by the Mental Health framework, this wellness wheel that you see on the screen. And each of those seven pieces of the wheel represents a strategic initiative that we use to help Cornell students thrive.
This comprehensive public health approach reflects best practices and is advocated by the Jed Foundation, for example, and the Equity in Mental Health Framework. And importantly, it provides opportunity for every member of the Cornell community to help shape the culture of our campus. The mental health framework is the bedrock of our Mental Health Review. And that was charged in 2018 by President Pollack, conducted in 2019, and finalized in 2020 with a comprehensive report that included 130 recommendations to enhance a culture of well-being at Cornell.
Now, the report importantly highlights the relative impacts on student well-being in three areas-- the academic environment, campus community, and clinical services. In terms of the campus community support, I want to call your attention to a brand-new website called mentalhealth.cornell.edu. It's actually called Mental Health at Cornell.
And it just went live. And so I don't have a picture of the URL, but it is mentalhealth.cornell.edu. And it provides a vast array of mental health-promoting resources across our campus. Students, faculty, staff, and parents can use this website to help connect the dots to the many resources that are available to your students on campus.
Now, most Cornell students come to campus with some preconceived notions of what life is going to be like here, and some of those notions may be formed by popular culture. And I would venture to guess that many of them are not based in reality. And so we help students learn what it's like to be at Cornell using Cornell-specific data. And students engage in programming to help them learn about what it's like to be here.
So, for example, all of our students will engage in a program called Real Students, Real Stories. That's based on Cornell's specific data, and it tackles things like imposter syndrome and also helps students benefit from the wisdom of students who have come before in navigating the social scene. It also talks about culture shock.
Another program that students will participate in is in alcohol education. And that uses, again, real Cornell data. One data point of interest is that incoming students, 50% of incoming students, have not consumed alcohol. And nearly a third of students continue to be nondrinkers during their time at Cornell. We use this data and more to help train our campus community leaders so that they can help to create communities of respect.
We believe in having an open dialogue with students about some of the difficulties that they may encounter at Cornell so that we can provide to them resources that they can access. And our experience over time is that the vast majority of students rise to the occasion, roll with the punches, and use the resources to thrive at Cornell.
Well, the pandemic has certainly placed a strain on everyone, and we have some resources for that as well. There's a great website called Coping During COVID, and you'll see the URL on the screen, health.cornell.edu/connect. And this has lots of resources that students who may be coming in with some emotional distress related to the pandemic or may develop some when they are here for resources throughout the semester. In addition, we've been planning clinical services for students who may need a little more help as they return to campus or come for the first time.
To that end, we provide counseling and psychological services, primary care medicine, and health promotion, all designed to support students' mental and emotional health and well-being. We're working with a national telehealth partner to augment the clinical counseling services that we can provide to students.
Let me tell you a little bit of what it looks like when a student reaches out to Cornell Health for help. A student can expect to connect with an access counselor within a week. An access counselor will help the student understand what their individual needs are, help them learn about the vast array of resources that are available, both in Cornell Health and across campus and, for that matter, in the wider community. And then, together, the student and the access counselor create a plan.
Now, when it's determined that ongoing support would be advisable, then we strive to have that next appointment available in the next two weeks whenever possible. Given the nationwide shortage of psychiatry services, we're also partnering with local and national telehealth providers to support students with mental health medication needs. And as always, students with urgent concerns will be connected to our crisis services, which includes our urgent care counselors and the availability of 24/7 access to a licensed counselor.
Of course, mental health and physical health are interrelated, and so when you feel anxious, sometimes you get a stomach ache. And similarly, when you don't feel well, when you have a physical concern, sometimes that impacts your emotional well-being as well. So Cornell Health also provides extensive medical services, which you can see here on the screen.
We also understand that students are able to manage common low level, but still impactful, medical concerns, like the common cold and nausea and vomiting and diarrhea. But sometimes, they don't really know what to do in the moment. And so our website includes guides that students can use to evaluate how they're feeling, to take self care steps, and advice on when to consult professional help. And this can help to reduce that anxiety that's common when somebody is ill away from home, especially for the first time but for years to come sometimes. So we recognize that we can help students increase their emotional health and well-being by increasing their knowledge of what they can do to support themselves.
We have a fantastic Student Disability Services department in Cornell Health. They work with students, faculty, and staff to ensure all aspects of student and academic life are accessible, are equitable, and are inclusive of students with disabilities. Last year, more than 4,000 Cornell undergraduate, graduate, and professional students registered with SDS, which is what we call Student Disability Services.
Our SDS department promotes a social justice approach to disabilities' accommodations. And we recognize that students live and learn with all kinds of temporary and permanent disabilities-- for example, medical and mental health concerns, ADHD, sensory disabilities, mobility concerns, and more. At SDS, a student's disability experience is not viewed in medicalized terms but rather as a positive part of a student's identity and of our diverse campus.
We recognize that disability documentation comes in many forms and often depends on a student's background and lived experiences. So we invite students to register with SDS, whether or not they have formal documentation, and at any point in their Cornell career, regardless of when they know they're going to need accommodations or not. So back to the pandemic.
We have been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic here at Cornell from the very beginning, very intensely. And we continue to do so and to adapt those changes to our approach that are indicated by our Cornell data and the evolving body of scientific knowledge. So I want to talk a little bit about the Delta variant, which is why we're all sitting in a room inside a building with a mask on. It's a game changer because of its increased transmissibility.
We know that people who are vaccinated may get infected with the Delta variant of COVID, and may, in some circumstances, be able to transmit that to others, although, likely, for a shorter period of time than someone who's unvaccinated. Now, I don't mean to imply that COVID-19 vaccines are not effective. In fact, they are very effective at preventing severe disease and death. And that's borne out in the sad fact of what we're seeing in incidence across this country, where the vast, vast majority of people with COVID who are hospitalized and who are dying sadly are in the unvaccinated population.
Now, you know well that we have a very highly vaccinated student body and staff and faculty. Because of this transmissibility of the Delta variant, we are requiring masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. People who are not yet vaccinated are also required to wear masks outdoors when they can't distance.
OK, I'm going to ask for your help. Last year, Cornell was able to keep the COVID case count very low, very low compared with our peer institutions, very low in comparison across the country. And that was because we all pulled together. Students, faculty, and staff made sacrifices, thought of the other, and took precautions that were hard but necessary.
And I ask that we do that again. Family members, please encourage your students to be mindful of this moment in time. And students, please do everything that you can to help us keep the COVID incidence low. So pandemic or not, we're going to take care of you at Cornell Health. And we have in-person services as well as telehealth available.
Please bear with us the first couple of weeks. We're in watchful waiting mode right now to understand what our pandemic experience is going to be, to understand how many cases of COVID we're going to see in this start up period, as we welcome thousands and thousands of you back to the Ithaca area. Because of that, we are deferring routine medical services for the first couple of weeks so that we can deploy our staff to COVID vaccination and COVID care when necessary.
We hope to have those routine services back up and running within the next two or three weeks. And as always, the Cornell Health website, health.cornell.edu, is the very best place to go for current information about our services. Students can call us during business hours at the phone number on the slide, 607-255-5155.
Now, they can also schedule appointments online, but here's a pro tip. If a student has an urgent concern, family members, please, encourage them to call us. I know a lot of students don't like to get on the phone and would rather simply web book. I feel that way myself, but I happen to know that we can get students with an urgent need in faster if we know about it-- sometimes same day or next day. But if they just go to the website, they may not see that availability that they need.
All students have the right to confidentiality in their medical and mental health services. And everything that they talk about with a health care professional is kept confidential. Now, students often want their parents and their family members involved in their care. That's fine. All they have to do is go to our website, download the correct forms, bring them to Cornell Health, and we'll keep them on file for you.
Family members, if you have concerns about your students' health, please encourage them to call us. And if at any point during your student's Cornell career you have very serious concerns about their health, you may call us and speak with a staff member.
We work super hard to create accessible services to Cornell Health, and we don't want cost to be a barrier. For that reason, we bill students' primary insurance as the primary payer. We subsidize their out-of-pocket costs and charge only a $10 copay for the vast majority of services that we provide at Cornell Health.
You'll hear more about health insurance from my colleague Liebe Meier Swain in a few minutes. But before I hand over the clicker, I want to ask for your help again. Family members have done all that they can do to prepare their students for this exciting moment in their lives. You've helped them get to this point. And the job's not over yet.
Through this year, please help us to reinforce some really important messages with your students. For example, self-care is real. You got to sleep every night. You've got to fuel up with healthy foods. And you've got to move your body every day.
Also, time management-- we know our students know time management. They wouldn't be here if they didn't. But time management also has to include fun and relaxation. So, please, family members encourage your students to build in time for fun and relaxation. It's necessary for their well-being.
And also connecting with others is not optional. It's necessary for well-being. And building social connections and cultivating relationships is one of the best ways that students can develop resilience to thrive in this atmosphere. And you know and we know that there's no award, no grade, no assignment, no test, no presentation, no interview that is more important than your student's well-being. Help them develop that perspective and keep that perspective in mind, that well-being is a foundation for their success.
Please let them know that there are people all across campus-- faculty, staff, and students-- who are rooting for their success and who are available to help. Thank you for your kind attention today and, again, welcome to Cornell.
[APPLAUSE]
LIEBE SWAIN: Thank you so much, Sharon. So hello and welcome. My name is Liebe Meier Swain. I'm the director of the Office of Student Health Benefits at Cornell. I've given the example that we're essentially like HR for students. We have three functions that we oversee-- first being making sure that all students have access to health care.
And that's done through partnership with another organization. One of the ways that we ensure access to health care is through the waiver process that many of you have been through. Another way that we ensure access to health care is by sponsoring or facilitating the self-funded student health plan. And then thirdly, we also provide access to optional dental and vision services for all students, regardless if they have their own private insurance or if they're on the student health plan.
Our unit is a part of the Compliance and Risk Services division. We also chair and support the Student Health Benefit Advisory Committee. And this is a committee that any student-- graduate, professional, PhD-- can get involved with and learn more about what health benefits look like at Cornell, how the health plan works, and how to positively inform the direction of the health plan to continue to serve students. We are also aligned with the Mental Health Framework and, in particular, occupy two spots on the wellness wheel-- one around increasing help-seeking behaviors and the second on providing mental and medical access to health services.
As I mentioned a few moments ago, we partner with Gallagher Student Health to complete the waiver process. And this is also the same partner that assists us with enrollment onto the Student Health Plan. For the Student Health Plan specifically, again, this is a self-funded product at Cornell, and it's only for Cornell students. We partner with Aetna so that students have access to national care and providers.
So if you're not in Ithaca, if you're home and you need to see a provider, you can see an Aetna provider. If you're studying at a different Cornell program, like Cornell in Washington, you have access to providers through this network without having to worry about not having access to care. We, additionally, partner with OPTUMRx for our prescription program. And then one of the telehealth services that we offer in connection with the services at Cornell Health is Teladoc for our health plan members.
SHP is a platinum plan, and according to the Affordable Care Act, essentially, that means that $0.90 of every premium dollar goes towards medical care. It also helps to insure this nationwide access, and if students are abroad doing an abroad experience or international and need care, any claims that are incurred overseas are reimbursed at 90% as well.
We have a second health product. And this is a really innovative partnership with New York State Department of Health. And this is one of the ways that we ensure that any students can study here. And this is for, in particular, individuals with financial sensitivities and meet Medicaid thresholds. And so we partner with New York State Department of Health so that the state department ends up paying the premium for those students, and it's not a student expense.
And as I mentioned, we have optional and dental, vision programs. And, again, any student, regardless of if they're on a SHP or SHP Plus, or if they have their own private insurance, they can go to our website and enroll in either dental insurance or vision insurance.
And speaking of our website, this is a huge resource, studenthealthbenefits.cornell.edu. It's really a vast resource for how to enroll in services, how to get access to services, if you're leaving campus because you're graduating, what happens to your health insurance, as an example, coverage dates. all of that information, including certificate of coverages and summary of benefits is located at studenthealthbenefits.cornell.edu. So as one Cornell alumna to a room full of future Cornell alumni, welcome and good luck.
[APPLAUSE]
JANET SHORTALL: Good afternoon. My name is Janet Shortall. I'm the associate dean of students in the Care and Crisis team. And I want to extend a special welcome on behalf of the Dean of Students Office to both parents, but especially students, who are with their parents today. I hope students are already enjoying orientation programs that are helping you already intentionally trying to get you to form connections and to find places of exploration so that you can live, as Sharon said earlier, I hope to have all of you living whole lives while you're here.
The Office of the Dean of Students is comprised of 10 separate programs dedicated to supporting the needs, the aspirations of our diverse campus community. The picture you're seeing is Willard Straight hall. And as Sharon mentioned yesterday, the clock tower and then the health center, we're right in the middle of that, right behind those tents that are set up for banking and other resources. I do hope you'll make your way down there to see the many resources both on and off campus.
Within Willard Straight, that is where our Dean of Students, Marla Love, has her office, as well as our university care team. But as I mentioned, the Office of Dean of Students is comprised of 10 separate programs who work collectively to support students both in every day and emergency situations, helping our students to thrive in this community by fostering community, providing advocacy, and support. I should highlight that a number of our offices are available today at 626 Thurston, which is just over the bridge as you go in to North Campus. They have an open house and fair so that you can learn a bit more about all of the individual programs that are housed within the Dean of Students Office, and especially for students, a good chance to meet some of our staff that are heading up these initiatives.
That fair is taking place today 1:00 to 3:00 PM. And I believe it is supposed to stop raining, so hopefully that works for us. Collectively, with our campus partner, we support wellness through inclusion, identity development, support, and advocacy. In the brief time we have today, I wanted to give you just a few examples of some of the initiatives coming out of our office. The Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making, which is also part of the portfolio of the Dean of Students Office, is actually housed in Anabel Taylor Hall that's just past our health center.
And you'll see in your orientation program that they're also holding open hours for you to come and see that facility and also to learn a little bit about the wide array of spiritual resources on our campus through our extensive campus minister staff and spiritual advisors. Directly following this program today, you would learn more about the Community Response Team, a brand new initiative in direct response to students' demands for having on-site care in the evening hours, with student affairs professionals who are trained in trauma informed care to provide support, advocacy, and resources in the evening hours.
Our cultural centers provide spaces of connection, community, and education for our campus as a whole. I can tell you the richness of which all of these centers collectively provide to our larger community is a great gift to all of us.
Now, we recognize that many students, as Sharon mentioned, know where to turn for resources, hopefully don't encounter too many things that are outside of their reach. But we recognize as the COVID situation is still upon us, we can't always plan for unforeseen challenges. We recognize that there may be a moment in which students and parents, your students, may need additional help.
The care team within the Dean of Students Office partners with campus offices across the campus. 24/7 access is available for support and helping students to navigate, cope, and find appropriate resources, so as to maintain their sense of feeling, their life, is going to be OK while they're here.
Good places to stay to get information related to health and well-being at Cornell-- the online parent/family newsletter from Cornell and our official university messages are certainly important to keep in touch with. You'll see that little note at the end is-- and I guess we've all learned this at one time or another-- to make sure that when you're checking a resource that allegedly is connected to Cornell to make sure it actually is Cornell University, to check the "edu" on the URL before taking a message at face value.
We do have a Facebook page as well as Instagram. And those are maintained actively. We have a very strong IT team, understanding that we have students and families from across the globe so that you should all feel entirely connected to all of what you need to know, and certainly students as well.
Again, on behalf of the Dean of Students Office, I know today is a little bit more of a struggle. It was beautiful sun yesterday, and we were all feeling light is that we are, especially for those of you who are not from the East Coast, autumn in Ithaca is truly one of the most beautiful, beautiful places to be. So if you see a little bit of that rain, remember, that's going to ensure we're going to have a beautiful autumn. That really is a great gift and wonderful, wonderful for the spirit. Encourage your students to send pictures because it really is an amazing time here in Ithaca. Welcome, and I wish you all the best in the continued programs of orientation.
[APPLAUSE]
APRIL OVERSTREET: Thank you so much to our presenters. We do have a few minutes available for questions. If anyone has a question, please raise your hand, and I'll be happy to bring the microphone to you. Yes, a question right here.
AUDIENCE: Just clarification on the health insurance. So if my son has a private health insurance, he can still come to Cornell Health Services and it's going to be billed as in-network?
SHARON MCMULLEN: I'm sorry. That didn't come through.
APRIL OVERSTREET: Yeah, let me repeat the question. So if a student has private health insurance and would still like to seek services at Cornell Health, how does that work? That works just great.
LIEBE SWAIN: Yeah, all students, regardless of what insurance product they have, can be seen at Cornell Health. And for all students, they have that $10 copay for them as well when they go there.
APRIL OVERSTREET: All right, a question right over here. Give me just a moment.
AUDIENCE: How does a student get prescriptions? Is there a pharmacy here?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Yes, Cornell Health has a full-service pharmacy, and students can have their transferable prescriptions transferred right over if they'd like. Or they can see one of our many providers who can connect with their prescriber at home, if necessary, or simply prescribe here.
APRIL OVERSTREET: Thank you for that question. Another question here in the back.
SHARON MCMULLEN: Normally, I would invite you to come see our pharmacy in our beautiful building. It really is spectacular. But because of the COVID situation, we're actually not encouraging visitors. We're screening everyone at the door, and there would be a big backlog for students who are coming in for care. But hopefully, when this is all over, you can come see our spectacular building and our really nice pharmacy. Same building.
AUDIENCE: I have a question about COVID vaccinations. I know all incoming students were required to be vaccinated. At this point just before school starts, what percentage compliance is there among vaccinated students?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Yeah, I watch this number very closely, as you can imagine. And it changes hour to hour. We're currently vaccinating students who have not had access to vaccine before this point in Barton Hall. And so coming into this week, we were somewhere north of 94% or 95%. A lot of the remainder, though, is documentation, not actual need of vaccine. And so we expect to have that tied up very, very quickly.
You know, depending on what product of vaccine students will come here and get vaccinated with, they'll either be fully vaccinated in, let's see, five or six weeks after getting their first dose because Pfizer's a three-week series, Moderna is a four-week series. We're offering both. And then you have to wait two weeks after that before you're considered fully vaccinated.
So during this period where we're getting everybody up to speed, it's important to be especially careful. When that period is done, though, we fully anticipate having a student population of over 99.5% vaccinated. The medical and religious exemption pool is minute, and we carefully screen those requests. So this is about as vaccinated a population as you're going to find.
APRIL OVERSTREET: Thank you. Another question over here.
AUDIENCE: Thank you so much. So if a student wants to just walk in to meet somebody and find somebody locally, like a therapist, to talk to the first week of school, how do they do that?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Sure. Walk-in care is a great way to learn how to get patience and wait. What's a better way is to call us first to make an appointment.
APRIL OVERSTREET: Yes, a question here in the middle.
AUDIENCE: Hi. Our student has waived the Cornell plan because of private health insurance. Do you have to buy the dental and vision plan? Or how about if they just have a toothache and they want to just get assessed to know whether to make an appointment with their at-home dentist for the next time?
LIEBE SWAIN: Yes, so if your student has dental coverage under your plan, they don't have to buy the dental product. It's totally optional. But it is, once purchased, it's in effect for the full year in which it's purchased. I believe the price is somewhere around $255 for the full year. That's, you know, it's just the one student's. But again, it's an optional product. And that's also on our website, studenthealthbenefits.cornell.edu.
AUDIENCE: I have to questions. The number one question is, where do those students that are exempt from vaccination staying? Number two is, when do you guys start the booster shot?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Thanks. I'll start with the second question, and then I'm probably going to need a reminder of the first question. Yeah, booster shots are certainly in conversation right now. They are not yet indicated for our population. When they are indicated, you can believe that we will certainly be offering them.
Someone asked me yesterday, will Cornell require it? I can't answer that. I can only provide the context of having our current vaccine mandate, and so you can draw conclusions from that. But then did you ask me about where students are isolated?
JANET SHORTALL: It's over here.
SHARON MCMULLEN: Yes? Yep. OK. So students who are found to have COVID and who live on campus have access to our isolation housing. This year it's in Balch Hall, which has been taken offline. And so we've got, I don't know, 30 or 50 rooms in there should we need them. We also have a contract with a local hotel, should we need it. But that wasn't your question, was it? Sorry. Can you repeat it?
AUDIENCE: Where are the other unvaccinated people? Are there some actually present in all the different dorms?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Yes. We do not segregate by vaccination status. And so the beauty of herd immunity is that when a population is vaccinated, it creates a synergy within that population so that unvaccinated people can be protected from exposure. Certainly, people who have a medical contraindication to vaccination are not forced to be vaccinated. And so they are not exiled into any particular place. They're part of our community, and they're protected by our herd immunity.
AUDIENCE: Sorry, I missed the first five minutes. Maybe you mentioned this at the beginning, but what happens if there is a breakthrough infection, despite the high vaccination rate? Is there a tracking of potential COVID cases? And what would happen to the students who test positive?
SHARON MCMULLEN: Sure. Please know that we will continue to have cases of COVID. That's the reality of our pandemic world right now. And so we've been managing these cases now for about 15 or 18 months, something like that. We have a very good process. We have an incredibly close relationship with the excellent Tompkins County Health Department, a truly excellent public health resource in this area.
So whether it's breakthrough or if it's not a breakthrough, breakthrough would be in someone who is fully vaccinated. As in these couple of weeks as we're bringing our population up to full vaccination, there will be some that are not fully protected yet. So they wouldn't be considered a breakthrough case-- either way, doesn't matter. As soon as they are identified, which is quickly because we have surveillance testing-- twice a week for the un- or undervaccinated, once a week for the vaccinated.
As soon as they are identified, then we partner with the Tompkins County Health Department which issues an isolation order. We get the student where they need to be. They're isolated for 10 days or whatever it takes depending on their symptoms. We do a very thorough contact investigation to identify those who may have been exposed to that person.
We check the contacts' vaccination status. And if they are asymptomatic, meaning no symptoms of COVID, then they don't have to go into quarantine. It's a big difference between this year and last year because of vaccination. Last year, we had to quarantine many, many contacts because there wasn't protection from vaccine. So isolation for cases, quarantine for close contacts. Our nursing staff and our provider staff monitor these patients every day.
We have a close partnership with our housing and dining. Recognize that 2/3 of our students live off campus. And so if they have appropriate accommodations, if they're living alone, if they've got access to a private bathroom and have food brought into them, they may isolate or quarantine in place, depending on the evaluation of the Tompkins Health Department.
But for our incoming students, many or most of whom live on campus, we don't isolate or quarantine in residential campus housing. We remove students to Balch Hall or our local hotel that we've contracted with if we should need that to reduce the risk of exposure to other students in that dorm.
AUDIENCE: Hi. My question is on cost. I believe I heard $200 a semester. But I swear, when our bill came, it was $1,700, so we opted for private. So I can't figure out why that cost would have been so different. Do you have any ideas?
LIEBE SWAIN: So $1,700 is the first semester charge for the Student Health Plan. If you had not waived yet, that's why that charge would have been on your bill. If you did waive, then that charge gets removed and the $210 charge is on everybody's bill. So all students contribute to that health fee.
AUDIENCE: So even if we have private, we still pay the two-- I see.
LIEBE SWAIN: Correct.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
LIEBE SWAIN: Yup. Mm-hmm.
AUDIENCE: Another insurance question. I have private insurance, so if she is ill, can she still come to the medical services here? And do you charge at the rate of the private insurance or your insurance?
LIEBE SWAIN: If your student has private insurance and comes to Cornell Health, Cornell Health will bill your health insurance first. That's the whole reason why we do the whole waiver process and asking students to either confirm on the health plan or waive with their private insurance. So your private insurance will be billed, and then the $10 copay for applicable services would be applied.
SHARON MCMULLEN: And we subsidize the cost, the out-of-pocket cost, that your insurance would have left.
APRIL OVERSTREET: I know we still have a few more questions. We are out of time, but our panelists are going to stay around for a few minutes afterwards. So if you have additional questions, please feel free to chat with them for a few minutes afterwards. Let's please thank Sharon, Liebe, and Janet for their presentation today.
[APPLAUSE]
Learn about the comprehensive services provided by Cornell Health and the Office of the Dean of Students including self-care resources to help students thrive, informal consultation and support options, disability services, and clinical care to support students' medical and mental health.Presented by Dr. Sharon McMullen, Assistant Vice President of Student and Campus Life for Health & Well-BeingLiebe Swain, Director of the Student Health PlanJanet Shortall, Associate Dean of Students, Care and Crisis Services
