University Health Services

University Health Services (UHS), the campus health center, cares for University of Massachusetts Amherst students, faculty, and staff, along with their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents. For the latest news and complete information, visit www.umass.edu/uhs.

Services

UHS offers general medical care, including routine visits, care for acute minor injuries and walk-in care; mental health care; health promotion services; eye care and optical services; pharmacy; laboratory; radiology; nutrition services; physical therapy; immunizations; allergy and travel medicine; substance abuse prevention; occupational health; and more.

Specialists in areas such as acupuncture, mind/body medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, and sports medicine also have office hours at UHS.

Using UHS

UHS is not a hospital and does not have an emergency department. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 for transportation to a hospital.

UHS' main offices are located in the Central residential area; the main phone number is (413) 577-5000.

If you think you need medical care, call UHS’ Triage Advice Nurse, (413) 577-5229. Staff are available by phone 24/7 to talk about your needs and help you choose the best course of care.

Appointments should be made for routine care, including checkups, minor illnesses, women’s health care, contraceptive services, well-baby visits and follow-up care; call (413) 577-5101.

Walk-in Care serves patients needing immediate care for minor illnesses and injuries. When classes are in session, Walk-in Care is open 8 a.m. – midnight.

UHS' Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) provides services by appointment, weekdays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; call (413) 545-2337. Emergency services are available 24/7; after hours, on weekends or holidays, call the UHS main number, (413) 577-5000 and ask for the on-call clinician. CCPH's main offices are located in Hills North, in the Central residential area.

Health Insurance

Massachusetts law requires college students to have primary health insurance coverage under a U.S.-based major medical plan. Students who do not already have insurance, or whose plan will not meet their needs while at school, can take advantage of the university’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Students taking five or more credits are automatically enrolled in the individual SHIP; charges will appear on the semester tuition bill. 

Students with comparable coverage may be eligible to waive the plan; visit www.umass.edu/uhs/insurance/ship/ for complete information. SHIP waivers must be completed online by the end of the Add/Drop period to prevent enrollment and charges.

The available SHIP family plan covers a student’s spouse or same-sex domestic partner and/or unmarried dependent children under age 26. Students must be enrolled in the SHIP individual plan and have paid the Student Health Fee to be eligible to purchase the family plan.

Those who want family insurance, are taking fewer than five credits per semester, or who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program through Continuing & Professional Education or University Without Walls must come to UHS Patient Services to enroll in the SHIP. Charges will be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office for inclusion on the semester tuition bill.

Learn more at www.umass.edu/uhs/insurance or call UHS Patient Services, (413) 577-5192.

Student Health Fee

A mandatory Student Health Fee is added to the tuition bills of all students taking five or more credits per semester. The fee is not insurance, but works together with students’ primary plan, entitling them to be seen at UHS and absorbing many costs not covered by primary health insurance.

Students taking fewer than five credits per semester and those enrolled in a degree-seeking program through Continuing and Professional Education or University Without Walls are eligible for UHS services, but must come to UHS Patient Services before the end of the Add/Drop period to register; charges will be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office for inclusion on the semester tuition bill.

Billing

Visits to UHS are first billed to a student’s primary health insurance. Students should always bring their primary insurance plan’s ID card whenever they use UHS services.

When filling prescriptions at the UHS Pharmacy, students should bring their primary insurance plan’s prescription card and be prepared to pay the plan’s co-payment; these are not absorbed by the Student Health Fee. The pharmacy accepts cash, check, UCard, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

Immunization Requirements

Massachusetts law requires college students to have certain immunizations and submit documentation before coming to school. UHS' New Student Immunization Program (NSIP) oversees these requirements. Visit the NSIP website, www.umass.edu/uhs/immunizations, for complete information.

To meet immunization requirements, first download and print the Massachusetts State Required Immunization History Form, available on the NSIP web page at the link above. Follow all instructions carefully.

The form must be submitted before a student's first semester on campus. Those who have not filed it by the end of the Add/Drop period will have a hold placed on their student record, preventing them from registering for classes. For more information, call the NSIP, (413) 577-5275.