Parents
At Student Health Services, we understand that it can be a challenging and somewhat stressful experience to help your student navigate their health care away from home. We hope the information below makes it a little easier to support your student in this regard.
Your student should call 619-594-4325 and follow the prompts for a future appointment, same-day appointment, routine medical concerns or to speak with a nurse about a more severe illness or injury. We can only schedule appointments if the student calls; we cannot schedule appointments for students with a parent phone call.
If your student’s need is not urgent, they can request an appointment via HealtheConnect.
Any appointment that cannot be kept needs to be canceled 24 hours in advance or your student may be charged. A Red ID must be brought to all appointments.
It is the policy of SDSU Student Health Services to have a chaperone present during all sensitive exams.
All students who enroll in San Diego State University pay a mandatory Student Health Services fee each semester. This fee is paid at the time of university registration and covers the costs of providing basic health services. The mandatory SHS fee includes the cost of staffing, supplies and administrative costs incurred by SHS.
More information on services that are covered as basic services is available here, as well as information about ancillary and augmented services that are available to students, though charges may apply for these services.
NOTE: The mandated Student Health Services fee does not apply to students of SDSU World Campus, institutes, workshops or other special programs. These participants pay for their health services by other means.
For any services not covered under the basic health services fee, acceptable forms of payment include cash, check, Apple Pay, some health savings or flex spending cards, and credit card. (Unfortunately, we cannot accept credit cards over the phone.)
SHS closes at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and campus-observed holidays
When SHS is closed, call the After-Hours Nurse Advice Line for health-related questions and information, 858-225-3105.
If care is needed after hours, please keep in mind that hospital emergency room services are expensive and vary substantially from one facility to another.
Student Health Services does not offer urgent or emergency care, advanced specialty care or overnight care. Students should become acquainted with the location of nearby medical facilities so they know where to go if medical attention is needed.
In case of urgent care, emergency room visits, hospitalization or specialty care needs, students are strongly encouraged to maintain or acquire health insurance coverage to assist with these costs.
For information on signing up for an affordable health-care plan or applying for Medi-Cal, the staff at Well-being & Health Promotion can help. Visit healthpromotion.sdsu.edu or call 619-594-4133.
Please note: Care received at an emergency department or urgent care center is the financial responsibility of the student, even if a Student Health Services team member refers them to seek care at that external facility.
Urgent-care centers are recommended for nonemergency situations.
It is important to understand that students are financially responsible for the cost of their health care, whether care is received at Student Health Services or at an outside facility. Care received at an emergency department or urgent-care center is the financial responsibility of the student, even if a Student Health Services team member refers them to seek care at that external facility.
Urgent-care centers are recommended for nonemergency situations.
We recognize that many students may be on a parent's insurance plan. We recommend you take these steps prior to your student's arrival at SDSU:
- Talk with your student about their insurance plan and any care providers that may be preferred.
- Make sure your student has a copy of their health plan cards. The best way to do this is have them take a photo of any cards (i.e. health, dental, Rx) with their phone. Make sure you have photos of both sides!
- If your student is uninsured or underinsured, connect with our Well-being & Health Promotion team for potential resources and options.
This is the start of your student's college journey. Learning about health care and how to navigate health systems is a part of their growth.
One aspect is for your student to become the decision-maker in how and when their personal health information is shared. Student Health Services is only able to share information with the permission of your student.
In many cases, students will request that we speak with a parent -- particularly when there are health concerns that extend beyond everyday colds and minor injuries. We are happy to do so, but the student directs these disclosures.
We strongly recommend parents stay connected to SDSU through the New Student and Parent Programs office. This team will help keep you in the loop with all that it is happening at SDSU and provide important updates for parents.
There are also other well-being resources available at San Diego State to support your student. More information on these resources is available here.
