UHCS clinicians are available for scheduled in person visits and telehealth visits. By law, our clinicians can only provide care to students physically located in Massachusetts at the time of their appointment. Please call UHCS 617.373.2772 to schedule an appointment.
Should you or someone you know have a medical or mental health emergency, please call NUPD at 617.373.3333 (or 911 off-campus) or go to your nearest Emergency Department.
SEXUAL HEALTH INFORMATION
Appointments are available to be scheduled for sexual health concerns. Call to arrange a visit time 617.373.2772, option #2. UHCS clinicians are licensed to provide care only to students physically in Massachusetts at the time of their clinic or telehealth appointment.
Examples of sexual health visits provided at UHCS include:
- Pelvic Exams and Cervical Cancer screening (Pap Test)
- Contraceptive (birth control) counseling and prescriptions
- Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
- HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis – PREP
- Sexual assault
- Emergency contraception – Plan B
- Pregnancy options counseling For more information about After Hours Care options click here and for a list of emergency resources in Boston click here.
PREGNANCY INFORMATION, COUNSELING AND OPTIONS
Your choice to continue or end a pregnancy is just that… Your Choice. You can choose parenting, abortion, and adoption. Schedule an appointment at UHCS to speak with a clinician about your options. If safe and comfortable, we encourage you to seek support from partners, friends, family, and university or community resources. Keep in mind, you are the only one who can decide what is best for you. At UHCS we can discuss your options. We refer to local community clinics for medical and procedural abortions.
If you are considering continuing your pregnancy some things to keep in mind: Avoid alcohol, recreational drugs, over the counter medications (aside from Tylenol). Eat healthy, give your body the sleep it needs, and stay hydrated. Start a prenatal vitamin with at least 400 mcg of folic acid (available over the counter).
Abortion Options
Pregnancy Options
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIs)
At UHCS, we provide STI testing for asymptomatic screening, persons with symptoms, or persons with a recent known exposure. Schedule a visit with a UHCS clinician or visit the CDC site or OPEN site to learn what tests may be best for you. Chlamydia and Gonorrhea (urine sample, vaginal, throat, or anal swabs) HIV (blood test) Syphilis (blood test) Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B (blood tests) Herpes (HSV) (lesion swab) HPV (Screened as part of Abnormal Paps) – *Call UHCS to schedule your HPV Vaccine.
If you are symptomatic, your partner recently tested positive for an STI, or you have concerns you would like to discuss in person with a medical clinician, please schedule an on site appointment (call 617.373.2772). If you have no symptoms or concerns, you have two options: (1) a telehealth visit to review your medical history followed by a lab only visit at UHCS.
COST of STI Testing
STI testing is fully covered by most insurances but not all. NUSHP (Northeastern University Student Health Plan) fully covers the cost of STI testing and no bill is sent home (the testing is fully confidential). If you are unsure about your insurance coverage, please call your insurance company to verify potential costs. You can also request your insurance company mail any bill or explanation of benefits to your personal address (rather than your parents address). Insurance companies in the state of MA must comply with this request per the PATCH Act. An alternative option for confidential testing is to “Self Pay”. The cost of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia testing is $25 (per site tested; i.e. urine, pharyngeal, rectal). The cost of HIV and Syphilis testing are $25 each. If you Self Pay, SHOW YOUR RECEIPT TO THE BAYSTATE PHLEBOTOMIST; this ensures that Baystate knows not to bill your insurance. You can also seek testing at local clinics in Boston that offer free and confidential STI testing, such as MGH Sexual Health Clinic (617.726.2748).
TREATMENT
If you test positive for a sexually transmitted infection, please call UHCS to schedule an appointment to discuss treatment and management. Practice abstinence (no sex) until you are treated. Please notify sexual partners you have had within the past 60 days so that they can be tested and treated. You can let them know anonymously with TellYourPartner.org. If your partner does not have access to health insurance, you can book an appointment for yourself at UHCS and our providers can prescribe “Expedited Partner Therapy” for your partner in some cases. Condoms are an important part of decreasing exposure to sexually transmitted infections.
PrEP
If you are considering HIV Pre Exposure Prophylaxis, schedule an appointment at UHCS to discuss your options. PrEP is one pill, taken once a day, to decrease your chance of becoming infected with HIV. We will obtain baseline labs to check for HIV, other STI’s, and your kidney function. Your labs will result within a couple days and once reviewed by a clinician, you can start taking your PrEP medication. We will check in at one month to see how you are tolerating the medication. After that, you will have a visit at UHCS every three months to check labs and refill your prescription. NUSHP covers the cost of PrEP with no copay. For other For PrEP prescriptions online: Nurx, Mistr
CONTRACEPTION
Schedule an appointment to discuss all options for contraception. At UHCS, we prescribe emergency contraception, the birth control pill, patch, ring, gel, and shots. We refer to local Ob GYN clinics for insertion of IUDs and Nexplanons. Because of the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans must cover one option of each birth control method with no copay. Your visit to discuss contraception can be via telehealth, but we do ask that you come on site before starting birth control to check your blood pressure and confirm you have a negative pregnancy test.
Online options for a birth control prescription (ideal for students out of state): Nurx, Favor, Wisp, Lemonaid, Hers, Emme, Pandia Health
Local ObGYN Clinics: Mass General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s, Beth Israel Deaconess, Tufts, Boston Medical Center, Saint Elizabeth’s
Frisky Husky program delivers free external condoms, internal condoms, oral dams, and water-based lubricant right to your on-campus mailbox.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
If you are a victim of sexual assault, please seek help. UHCS offers medical and mental health support. OPEN’s Sexual Violence Resource Center (SVRC) also offers confidential support to Northeastern students. At your medical visit at UHCS, a provider will discuss your options for evaluation and management, some of which are time sensitive. Please call UHCS to discuss your options. Learn more about CONSENT from the Office for Prevention and Education at Northeastern
If you would like to self-pay: Gonorrhea and Chlamydia are tested together and cost $25. HIV Testing costs $25. Syphilis Testing costs $25. Payment must be made prior to testing. UHCS accepts major credit cards, debit cards and non-food related Husky dollars.
To learn more about consent, sexual health and relationships visit the OPEN website.
You can also seek testing at local clinics in Boston that offer free STI testing.
Local STI Testing Sites
