On Campus Health, Wellness & Counseling Facilities

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THE HEALTH CLUSTER

Rice students have access to a number of medical, psychological and wellness-related services available to them on campus by paying the Rice student health fee. This fee provides funds for the Health Cluster, Rice EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and Student Disability Support. The “Health Cluster” consists of the three groups on campus which have been established to address students’ physical, emotional health and wellness needs:

Continuity of Care

Students entering Rice with a mental or physical health concern that needs ongoing care should make arrangements to locate Houston area physicians or psychologists who can provide that continuity of care. The Rice Counseling Center and the Student Health Service can assist you with that process.

 

Student Health Service

www.rice.edu/health/

Student Health provides preventive and outpatient clinical care for Rice students. It is located on-campus, at the Morton L. Rich Student Health and Wellness Center, Building #62 on a campus map, and is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of Rice University students. Student Health interfaces with other health oriented divisions on campus to help promote a healthy Rice community. Our mission encompasses public health, education, and wellness.

The student health fee, required of all students, pays for all health programs on campus. Although this fee covers the professional services provided at Student Health, it does not cover medical services provided off-site. If additional diagnostic testing or evaluation is needed (i.e., laboratory, radiology, or sub-specialist referral) health insurance becomes involved. It is very important for you to review the specific details of your health insurance plan (e.g., costs, limitations, exclusions). If you have a restrictive health insurance plan we urge you to consider purchasing the Rice Student Health Insurance Plan, especially developed for Rice students, or another supplemental plan to cover you while at Rice.

Student Health is open during the academic year from 8:00 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Summer hours for 2008 are 9 am - 3:30 pm Monday thru Thursday.

Please call x4966 if an appointment with one of the doctors is desired. We are closed during university holidays and have limited hours during academic breaks and during the summer.

 

The Wellness Center

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~wellness

The Wellness Center provides programs and services designed to help students thrive in college by increasing overall health literacy and encouraging a commitment to lifelong behaviors that promote a higher quality of community and individual wellbeing. Programming is guided by the principles of “wellness”, or the notion that individuals should strive for an optimal level of wellbeing, not just freedom from disease or illness. The Wellness Center’s services include: 1) a library of educational materials such as audiovisuals, brochures, books, CDs and computer software; 2) training to increase skills and knowledge that can facilitate a healthier lifestyle; 3) one-on-one professional consultations with a registered massage therapist, licensed acupuncturist, and a registered dietitian.

We are located in the Morton L. Rich Health and Wellness Center, Building #62 on the campus map, on the northeast side of campus, next to Brown College, at Entrance 27. To set up an appointment, call us at 713-348-5194. If you have a question, email us at wellness@rice.edu. Feel free to stop by any time!

 

The Rice Counseling Center

http://rcc.rice.edu/

The Rice Counseling Center provides free, confidential consultations and short-term counseling for currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students who have paid the health fee. The center’s goal is to alleviate psychological distress, increase understanding of others, and promote personal well-being and academic performance. Professional staff members include psychologists, counselors and a consulting psychiatrist, all of whom are experienced in working with college students. If students are receiving counseling at the Center and it appears medication may also be helpful, the psychiatrist could provide a psychiatric assesment and follow up medication management. In order to be eligible for psychiatric services, students must be engaged in ongoing counseling at the Center. If it appears students’ needs would be better met by off campus professional services, the Counseling Center’s professional staff would help students locate appropriate, local resources. The Center also provides educational material and programs to help prevent social/emotional problems and enhance students’ overall psychological resilience.

The Counseling Center provides consultations and assistance for students who are experiencing problems working with a professor or other students; presentations or consultations on topics such as how to relieve stress, difficulties in completing a thesis or dissertation, assertiveness training and others.

The Center also strongly encourages Teaching Assistants to contact this office if you have concerns about how to respond to an undergraduate student who seems to be in emotional distress or whose behavior causes problems for self or others.

Contact the Rice Counseling Center at x4867 for an appointment. It is located in Lovett Hall, Entrance A, 3rd Floor. Lovett Hall is Building #40 on a campus map. If you are calling after hours, an answering service will respond and put you in contact with a clinician. In the unlikely event that you cannot reach the Counseling Center (during breaks and vacations, for instance), call the campus police (x6000/713-348-6194 off-campus).

In case of psychiatric crisis, students are often referred to Intracare Hospital (760 Fannin, 713-790-0949). If emergency medical and psychiatric care are needed (i.e., for injuries associated with the psychiatric emergency), students are referred to Hermann Hospital (64 Fannin, 713-704-4060), Methodist Hospital (6565 Fannin, 713-790-2245), Ben Taub Hospital ( 504 Taub Loop, 713-793-2600), and others in the area.