Located on the second floor of the Quinn Administration building is University Health Services (UHS). Not all students are aware of UHS or the services they provide. UHS provides full medical and mental health services for the University of Massachusetts Boston community. The staff is comprised of nurse practitioners, consulting physicians, psychologists, social workers, registered nurses, laboratory technicians, and health educators to assist the clinical and administrative staff. UHS has been treating students for as long as UMass Boston has been open.
UHS is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). This administration is an accrediting organization for outpatient facilities. Evaluated by the AAAHC professionals, UHS was found to provide quality care when measured against national standards. UHS meets all federal, state and local laws regarding patient safety, infection control, privacy, and the AAAHC’s standard of care.
UHS general medicine provides full service, preventative care, tuberculosis screenings, gynecological care, contraception management, acute illness care, travel clinc, and sports medicine. it also provides women’s and men’s health care, sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment, urgent care for minor illness and injuries, international travel vaccinations and services, infection control and evaluations, and flu shots, assisted by full laboratory services staffed by licensed medical professionals.
Students can get their primary care at UHS. They can make same-day appointments and schedule physicals as early as the next day. UHS provides as much total care as possible. They have interpretative services available at all times on a walk-in basis, at a cost covered by the department. They also host health fairs once per semester, and they will be offering complete dental services in the near future.
UHS is available to all students. Approximately 30 percent of students utilized their services in the last academic year. Students are always welcome to visit. They are open Monday to Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They have an online portal (My Health Beacon) where students can schedule or change appointments, send and receive messages from their health care provider, view lab results, and enter or view immunization information.
UHS accepts almost all insurances. If you have an outside insurance covering you, you will have to pay regular copayments if you are treated by UHS. However, if you have the school’s health insurance, you will not have to put up with these payments.
UHS mental health services hosts a counseling center that that offers therapy to students at no cost. The counseling center provides consultation, assessments, crisis intervention, focused therapy, education, and referral assistance for mental health symptoms and concerns.
UHS also has a health education and wellness department that provides a range of services. They provide health information and programs centered around high risk areas that impact college-aged individuals. These programs focus on areas such as alcohol, drugs, and stress management. Some of the mental health problems they provide information about include depression, stress, and anxiety. They also specialize in HIV and STI prevention and tobacco cessation.
All in all, UHS director Richard Arnold, encourages students to “come by and take advantage.”