Collaborative Health and Advocacy

Greetings and welcome to Vassar! We are delighted to have you join our community, and we hope that your experience will be fulfilling. Our Collaborative Health and Advocacy Team is committed to helping students navigate their wellness needs so that they can thrive.

The Team

As part of this effort, we strongly encourage every incoming student to work with their family over the summer to develop a wellness plan and identify the supports they will need for a healthy transition to college. Reflect on your current self-care practices and consider whether you will need continued support from health professionals while at Vassar. For students who have overcome physical or emotional health challenges, we encourage you to acknowledge your resilience and strengths. As you create a care plan, please consider the following questions:

• If you would benefit from continued support from health professionals, are the services you need available on the Vassar campus, or do you need to access them off-campus?
• If you are not on the Vassar student health insurance plan, have you verified that your plan covers health and mental health appointments with local providers who accept your insurance?
• If you are taking medication, have you determined the pharmacy you will use and whether you need to find a new provider? Have you requested a 90-day supply of medication if appropriate?
• Do you have a complete list of your prescription medications and doses?
• Do you have a copy of your insurance card’s front and back?
• Does your health insurance plan require a referral to access a specialist?
• Which Vassar Wellness Resources below would you utilize? What other resources do you need?

The wellness resources below are available to all students free of charge with the exception of some medication and supplies that may be provided by the Health Service. For information about medical billing and fees, visit go.vassar.edu/medbilling. If you are on a Pell Grant, you are eligible to access Vassar’s Wellness Fund for additional support in covering the cost of medical expenses. Contact Erika Lee at erikalee@vassar.edu.