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IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION
Download the REQUIRED Health/Immunization Form
Important notice regarding Meningitis
CLINIC HOURS
Mon. - Fri., Fall and Spring Semesters, 8:30 am - 11:30 am and 1 pm - 4 pm. The clinic hours are reduced during the summer months.
MAILING ADDRESS
Student Health Services
Box 37
315 Shorter Avenue
Rome, GA 30165
Telephone: 706-233-7278
Confidential Fax: 706-236-1519
Fax: 706-233-7378
Email: mssmith@shorter.edu
Location: 2nd Floor, Fitton Student Union
CLINIC STAFF 
Dr. Joseph Mazzola
Medical Director
Mary Shotwell Smith, RN, BSN
Director, Student Health Services
REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS
A completed health/immunization form must be received in Student Health Services prior to registering for classes.
Required Immunizations as of June 1, 2007
2 MMRs
Tetanus injection less than 10 years old
It is recommended you receive the following immunizations:
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Meningococcal Vaccine
All daytime traditional, non-traditional, commuter and residential students must complete a health form and it must be received prior to registration. The Health and Immunization form is available online by downloading the form at the top of this page or by contacting the Office of Admissions.
In addition, proof of insurance for students is necessary or your registration will be considered incomplete. Proof of insurance should be sent with the Health and Immunization form to:
Shorter College
Student Health Services
315 Shorter Ave.
Rome, GA 30165
STUDENT INSURANCE
Student Insurance - Domestic Insurance
Domestic students may choose to purchase health insurance offered by the College. Information and a brochure for domestic insurance can be retrieved by contacting Student Health Services, or going to the website www.studentinsure.com/welcome.asp?schoolid=28 or by calling the insurance provider at 1-888-301-9289.
International Insurance
Non-immigrant status international students (F-1 VISA status) can
learn about the international student insurance by going to the website www.studentinsure.com/welcome.asp?schoolid=49 or call the insurance provider at 1-888-301-9289. All non-immigrant status (F-1 VISA status) are automatically enrolled into the mandatory college health insurance plan
The cost of international insurance is automatically added to your account through the Business Office and is deducted each month during the fall and spring semesters (call 706-233-7313). All F-1 VISA status students are required to have this insurance coverage whether or not they have their own personal health insurance and/or the College’s student athletic insurance.
WELLNESS EDUCATION
Wellness Education involves empowering students with the necessary knowledge to take better care of themselves throughout their lifetime. This can be as simple as learning how to make wise choices resulting in an appropriate decision concerning their health or as complex as discussing serious health conditions.
Wellness Education comes in various forms. It can be in lecture form before a classroom or a one-on-one conversation with a student in the clinic. Printed materials on men's and women's health, acute illnesses, sports wellness and physical fitness are available to the students. In addition, Student Health Services provides information on smoking cessation, drug use and abuse, nutrition, exercise and other health promotion/maintenance issues.
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT
A Registered Nurse is available to give a general assessment of the student. If a more complete assessment is needed, the student is referred to the campus physician (on campus one afternoon per week) or to a local medical doctor.
There is no charge for a visit to the campus nurse or the self-care area of the clinic. There is a $10 charge to see the physician in addition to a $10 charge for certain screenings (lipid profile, strep, urinalysis, pregnancy, HBG, mono, blood glucose, PPD) and immunizations (tetanus, influenza when available) performed in the clinic. These charges are billed to your campus account or may be paid directly to Student Health Services.
SERVICES
Physician visits - 2 hours weekly, Wednesdays 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Walk-ins accepted
Self-care Sections (Two available - one outside the clinic door and one in the clinic's reception area)
Illness visits - (walk-in)
Diagnosis
Treatment
Referrals as needed
Screenings include - strep, urinalysis, mononucleosis, pregnancy, HBG, blood glucose, PPD, lipid profile, hearing, vision, and body composition using the Tannita Body Mass Analyzer.
PHYSICAL EXAMS
Annual, pre-employment, school (appointment only as physician’s limited schedule allows). Due to the limited number of hours that the physicians are on campus and the large number of campus athletes, sports pre-participation physical exams are referred to outside medical facilities such as Urgent Care, Family Practice, and the student’s primary care physician. The Athletic Department requires physical exams to be completed before prior to arrival at Shorter College.
IMMUNIZATION CLINIC
Immunizations available through Student Health Services are influenza, tetanus and PPD (tuberculosis screening). Other immunizations can be received at Floyd County Health Department or Harbin Clinic Infectious Diseases.
Allergy injections are no longer administered in the clinic; however, several area clinics are available to students to administer injections. Contact Student Health Services for more information.
Student Health Services does not file for insurance reimbursement. Medical information is confidential and will not be released without the patient's written consent, except as required by law.
FIRST AID TRIAGE
All emergencies are treated first. Upon assessment, if the nurse finds a situation needing a physician or emergency medical assistance, the student is referred to our clinical physician or a local physician. Minor injuries can sometimes be treated in the clinic, but all diagnostic tests such as blood tests, x-rays, MRIs will be referred to off-campus.
ACUTE ILLNESS CARE
There is a self-care center as you enter the clinic area. If further help is needed, a Registered Nurse is available during clinical hours. Small quantities of over-the-counter medications are available for colds, sinus problems, cuts, headaches and pain. Upon assessment, if the nurse finds a situation needing a physician or emergency medical assistance, the student is referred to our clinical physician or a local physician.
ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR
Annually a Health Fair, co-sponsored by the Allied Health Club and Student Health Services, is held in the spring semester. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend this free event.
Shorter College's Student Health Services supports each of the following observances on campus.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National AIDS Day
National Heart Month
Great American Smokeout
Alcohol Awareness
WEIGHT WATCHERS
Weight Watchers meets at noon at Shorter College once a week. Faculty, staff and students can join this supportive group. For more information, call Student Health Services at 706-233-7278 or Student Affairs at 706-233-7231.
MEMBERSHIPS
The Nurse Director in Shorter College's Student Health Services is a member
of the following organizations:
American College Health Association
Southern College Health Association
American Nurses Association
Georgia Nurses Association
GA Network of Colleges and Universities for the Prevention of Substance Abuse
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
North Georgia Healthy Living Coalition
Sigma Theta Tau International (Honor Society of Nursing)
College Health Nurses' Roundtable (Regional)
STUDENTS AND PARENTS!
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON MENINGITIS!
As of January 1, 2004, Georgia law requires all college students living in campus housing to be vaccinated against meningococcal disease or sign a waiver stating they have received information about the disease and have elected not to be immunized.
In order to ensure that students in Georgia planning to attend college are vaccinated in accordance with state legislation, Student Health Services sponsors an immunization clinic which includes meningococcal vaccine on campus during the Immunization Clinic in the fall semester. Students can receive the vaccine at Harbin Clinic, Infectious Disease Control Clinic, 1825 Martha Berry Blvd., 706-295-5331, or from their personal physicians or a physician of their choice.
* Meningococcal disease is a serious disease that can lead to death within only a few hours of onset; one in ten cases is fatal; and one in seven survivors of the disease is left with a severe disability, such as the loss of a limb, mental retardation, paralysis, deafness, or seizures;
* Meningococcal disease is contagious but a largely preventable infection of the spinal cord fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain;
* Scientific evidence suggests that college students living in dormitory facilities are at a moderately increased risk of contracting meningococcal disease; and
* Immunization against meningococcal disease will decrease the risk of the disease.
The meningococcal meningitis vaccine is 85 to 100 percent effective against four of the five most common strains of the bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis. Studies show that up to 80 percent of cases on college campuses are vaccine preventable.
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