COVID Update: Health & Counseling

AUSTIN, Texas— Health & Counseling Center - ATTENTION, New Procedures for Students

Students needing medical services due to any symptoms of respiratory illness including shortness of breath, fever, cough and sore throat should call the HCC first at 512-448-8538 for further instructions before coming in. We will make a determination about what level of medical care you need and either schedule your appointment with us or refer you accordingly. This new protocol is essential in making sure we can efficiently treat students and limit the spread of any virus.

If you have other medical needs such as STI testing, physicals, well-woman exams, immunizations, allergy shots, etc. please call to schedule your appointment. If you need medical assistance after business hours and over the weekend, please go to your local urgent care clinic or emergency room. As a reminder, students also have access to telehealth resources. Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) member and non-member students can access remote services for both medical and counseling needs.

• To learn more about telemedicine resources, call 1-855-870-5858 or visit telehealth4students.com.
• For counseling, go to counseling4students.com.
• SHIP members are not charged for consultations of either service.
• Non-SHIP students who use telemedicine resources can work with their insurance companies for billing.

Non-Essential Travel for Employees – ATTENTION, New Procedures for Employees

Vice presidents and deans should review business travel plans for the remainder of the semester for their teams and strongly reconsider non-essential business travel. If travel is canceled, please make every effort to recover as much of the associated costs as possible through refunds, although there may be some expenses that are not recoverable if a trip is canceled.

With Spring Break approaching, there will likely be many questions about personal travel plans and attendance at local events. Individuals remain free to make their own choices with regard to personal travel and attendance at large events, but we encourage everyone to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Austin Health Department, including recommendations for personal hygiene, self-monitoring and travel advisories.

Spring Break and Ongoing Travel – ATTENTION, New Restrictions

Regarding domestic travel, please remember that the situation is changing quickly and the Centers for Disease Control is constantly monitoring the spread of the coronavirus across the country and re-evaluating its recommendations accordingly. The university is restricting university-affiliated travel for students, faculty and staff to locations within the United States where a state of emergency has been declared related to the coronavirus. This includes the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland and Washington. Additional states and cities may be added to this list. Anyone returning from locations where a state of emergency has been declared may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. (Please see March 9 Update and FAQs for new guidance.)

Regarding travel abroad, there are currently level 3 and 4 travel advisories for traveling to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. Travel to those areas is restricted for university-affiliated travel and strongly discouraged for personal travel. Please check the CDC’s webpage for the most up to date travel advisories.

While individuals are free to make their own choices regarding personal travel, we encourage everyone to follow all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Austin Health Department, including recommendations for personal hygiene, self-monitoring and travel advisories.