Health & Counseling Services—Students’ On-Campus Care Provider
First, welcome to all who are new to the Zag Family! We look forward to meeting you in August when you’re on campus! For our returning families, it’s hard to believe it’s almost time for another academic year, isn’t it?!
We wanted to provide a little intro (or refresher) on Health & Counseling Services—the on-campus physician’s office and counseling center just for Zag students. Our team has a strong focus on wellness and wants our students to fully benefit from Gonzaga’s Jesuit education.
Services We Provide
Located at 704 E. Sharp, our Board-Certified Family Physicians, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Dietitian, and Counselors are here to give students our expertise and care in a confidential setting. Our clinicians are able to diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications, provide psychological counseling, and support students with long-term health concerns. Our team can provide many of the same services your student would be able to access at your family doctor’s office, counseling office, or urgent care center.
Counseling Services
Health & Counseling Services uses a short-term, solution-focused counseling model. This means we provide counseling sessions that are available on a short-term basis (approximately 8 sessions per academic year) and dive right into addressing the student’s mental health concern and working to overcome that concern. There is no fee for the individual counseling services. For students who are seeking more counseling than is available in our office, we will assist them with a referral to providers in the Spokane community for ongoing therapeutic care.
Hours and Availability
We are open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. We do encourage students to schedule an appointment to access care quickly and easily. Walk-ins are accommodated for some services.
Costs and Billing
Due to the various types of insurance plans and companies that our students carry, Health & Counseling Services does not submit claims to insurance companies. Students will be responsible for the minimal charges that are incurred during their medical visit, i.e. provider visit fee, immunizations, in-office laboratory testing, supplies, etc. There is no fee for the individual counseling services (with the exception of psychiatric services). Students will receive an itemized receipt at each visit and we can work with them to appropriately code it if you want to submit it to your insurance company for reimbursement. Health & Counseling Services accepts the following types of payment for the services rendered: check, credit/debit (Visa and MasterCard), Bulldog Bucks, cash, or students are allowed to charge their services to their student account. If the student account option is chosen, the fees will be included on the student’s tuition bill as a “Student Health Fee”.
After Hours For care needs that arise after hours, we also provide a Health Ride Program. This program provides a taxi service from campus to local medical providers for scheduled appointments and evening/weekend urgent care needs. Students can also consult with a physician after hours by calling 509-624-2313.
Free Consultation with Nurses
One of the most important things for you to remember as a parent and family member is that your student can always consult with a registered nurse for free. When they aren’t sure what to do, we will help guide them and connect them to community resources, as needed.
How We Work with Parents and Families
Having a support network is incredibly important—particularly in healthcare. We strongly encourage students to communicate with their support network when they have health and wellness needs or concerns. Due to privacy regulations, Health & Counseling Services can only communicate with parents or families when expressly given permission by the student. We will gladly communicate with you, if the student asks to have you involved in their care. This must be done on a case by case basis; the student cannot sign a release giving us ongoing permission to speak with you about their care.
Come Meet Us during Orientation
Health & Counseling Services will be open on Friday (8am-5pm) and Saturday (8am-4pm) of Orientation Weekend. We will also have staff at the Resource Fair on Friday and at Parent & Family Orientation on Saturday.
For More Information
For detailed information about our staff, services, and other ways we can support you and your student during their time at Gonzaga, please visit our website.