Health & Safety on Study Away

First step: download your own Study Away Wellness Planner worksheet and work through the steps and checklists here to help you make sure you've considered all elements of your health and your wellness while you're studying away. This worksheet is specially designed for CC students by Global Education, based on all the common concerns and potential problems students most often run into - use it to help make sure you're ready to go!

As you prepare to leave campus, we strongly recommend that you meet to make a plan with campus or local supports you regularly work with for mental or physical health and support. Before departure is the best time to fully think through the potential physical and mental health stresses presented by off-campus study.  Prepared students will be proactive in taking care of their health and safety prior, during, and after their journey.  

The study away experience can be a very powerful and positive developmental time that may ultimately lead to increased levels of self-awareness.  However, the life changes associated with off-campus study can also be stressful and confusing, and may potentially exacerbate existing physical and emotional conditions. If you have any concerns, it is very important that you meet with the staff at the CC Student Health Center or your other health care providers to discuss how off-campus study could affect your situation. Addressing your health issues prior to studying off campus will help you identify those resources that will and will not be available at your program site.

Students will receive predeparture information from their specific program; make sure to read this information carefully, and take time to learn about political situations, living conditions, medication restrictions and disability accommodations, and any other health and safety issues relevant to your host country.

You can also obtain additional information about your specific destination from the U.S. Department of State's Students Abroad website, and their section on Your Health Abroad is full of good preparation items to consider, for all travelers.

If you take any medications regularly, whether prescription medications or over-the-counter, you should do your research and have a plan for maintaining your medication regimen. Some basic medication guidelines for travel follow:

1) Bring an ample supply of medication to cover you for your entire time away.

2) Always pack medication in your carry-on bag, not in checked luggage.

3) Be aware that not all medications which are legal in the U.S. are legal in other countries.

4) For any prescription medications, use the original bottles and bring a paper prescription.

5) Don't forget a back-up pair of glasses if you wear glasses or contact lenses.

LEARN BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Through CC's membership with International SOS, all CC students, staff, and faculty are eligible to call for a covered medical travel consultation, for advising on your own personal medications and if they are allowed into the country or countries of your destination abroad. Some countries require an import license or permit to travel with certain medications, and SOS can advise you on this.

To contact International SOS for predeparture medical advice, download the International SOS Assistance App onto your smartphone, as the easiest one-touch way to contact SOS for assistance. We recommend using your CC email address when setting up the app, so that you show as part of our member organization.

Alternatively, you can call their Philadelphia Assistance Center directly by phone at (215) 942-8342. The CC membership number for SOS is 11BSGC000027. 

GETTING LARGER SUPPLIES OF A MEDICATION

Sometimes you may also need to contact your health insurance about coverage for what is often called a "vacation supply" of medication: more than your typical 30 or 60-day prescription amount. You should not plan to refill any prescriptions abroad, as this is often a difficult process and often is not possible except in extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances.

If you are studying abroad on a partner program outside of CC, the country-specific predeparture materials you receive from them, as well as their Health & Safety staff, can often be very helpful in navigating these questions as well.

Colorado College covers all students traveling abroad on a CC-faculty-led block, half-semester, or semester program under our International SOS/University Health Partners (SOS+UHP) policy. In addition, some students participating in CC-approved partner programs that do not already cover them with international health insurance will also be automatically enrolled in CC's International SOS plan. This includes students studying on the following partner programs:

• Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT) Budapest
• Budapest Semester in Mathematics
• ISDSI Thailand
• Kansai Gaidai Asian Studies Program
• Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)
• School for Field Studies (SFS)

International SOS provides worldwide assistance and emergency evacuation services for study abroad participants. The services provided by SOS range from telephone advice and doctor referrals to evacuation by private air ambulance. Colorado College students have access to country-specific information on the SOS website, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more.

GET THE APP!

We strongly recommend that all students and faculty/staff traveling abroad with CC download the International SOS Assistance App onto your smartphone, as the easiest one-touch way to contact SOS for assistance. We recommend using your CC email address when setting up the app, so that you show as part of our member organization. Alternatively, you can call their Philadelphia Assistance Center directly by phone at +1-215-942-8342. 

What I-SOS Can Do for You

1) You have access to country-specific information on the International SOS website and for free phone consultations predeparture, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more. You can log in using your CC email address to access all the supports, advice, and detailed resources for your travel destination, or call the "subscriber assistance" number on the website.

2) If you would like a printed physical International SOS card, you can print one from the website using our member number (or make an extra copy to leave with your parents or another responsible party). Note that SOS+UHP only provides coverage outside the United States and, therefore, does not provide coverage for any block or semester taught within the United States.  

3) Through I-SOS, you have access to our UHP (Cigna) travel health insurance, which provides $500,000 of health insurance abroad with no deductible.  UHP covers prescription medicine that is prescribed in the foreign country at 100% and does not exclude pre-existing conditions. This will be your primary health insurance while you are on a CC course overseas.    

INSURANCE THROUGH PROGRAM PROVIDERS

If you are participating in a program through one of our CC-approved partner programs abroad, or on one of our exchanges, you may be covered through your program on their international insurance policy automatically, so please start by checking with them, as this is something many of our partners include health insurance and emergency evacuation and assistance coverage in the program cost. 

All students should make sure to carefully read any information provided by your study abroad program on health insurance and medical access in the country/school where you will be studying. Sometimes students are automatically covered by the National Health Service of the country they are studying in, or there may be a health center or similar preferred option on campus.

INTERNATIONAL SOS SUPPORT

All Colorado College students, however, on any program, have access to country-specific information on the International SOS website and for free phone consultations predeparture, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more. You can log in using your CC email address to access all the supports, advice, and detailed resources for your travel destination, or call the "subscriber assistance" number on the website.

COVERAGE DATES

Be aware that any insurance that covers you during your study abroad experience (through CC's plan or through your program provider abroad) is typically only valid during the dates your program is in session. We strongly recommend that you plan to maintain coverage over summer or holiday breaks before and after your program takes place.

GIVE INFO TO YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT

It is imperative that you make sure that someone back home also knows the details of your medical coverage while you are abroad, so they can help in the event of an emergency, if you are traveling independently during the program dates, or are otherwise unable to give them this information, and something happens. Many types of emergency/evacuation medical insurance require advance authorization before any services are received, and if the people who care about you don't know what that is or how to access it, that can be a very costly gap.

Students can continue to use the Colorado College Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) when you are studying off-campus, and we recommend maintaining this coverage as the smartest option for most students. Students participating in a CC-led study abroad program will be given the standard options to enroll in SHIP that you are used to. Students who will be studying abroad with a partner program for a full semester or year will need to opt in for manual re-enrollment in the SHIP plan for uninterrupted coverage while they are studying away. These students will receive an important email from Global Education & the CC Wellness Resource Center, and you will need to reply with your intent to opt-in to SHIP for your semester abroad on a partner program.

The reason that CC recommends maintaining enrollment in your SHIP coverage even when studying abroad is two-fold: first, the SHIP plan can be utilized overseas; see details of international coverage here. Additionally, since most students will not be outside the United States for the entire term of SHIP coverage (August 1 - December 31 for Fall coverage term, January 1 to July 31 for Spring/Summer coverage term), SHIP provides valuable coverage in those gaps before and after your study abroad program has occurred.

All students who are studying off-campus retain access campus services for health, safety, and student support. 

TELEHEALTH MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Students studying away from CC still have access to CC's free, 24/7 Mental Health Support . The TimelyCare urgent and emergency service is called TalkNow, and connects students to licensed counselors immediately by calling 1-833-484-6459 or through their app. TimelyCare provides scheduled counseling with a telehealth provider. 

To access this service, students will need to complete a one-time registration on the TimelyCare website. Learn more about TimelyCare.

Other mental health resources can be found on the Counseling Center page, along with support resources and student health and wellbeing.

TITLE IX SUPPORT 

The Campus Advocate (previously SARC) provides confidential support to anyone affected by sexual misconduct, including but not limited to: sexual assault, stalking harassment, and/or intimate partner or dating violence.

The Campus Advocate serves all members of the Colorado College community, and all identities. They can offer you support in navigating medical, legal, or Title IX processes, and they can help connect you with campus, community, and state resources for counseling, advising, and reporting. The Campus Advocate can be reached at campusadvocate@coloradocollege.edu, or by office phone at 719-227-8101.

ACCOMMODATIONS & ACCESSIBILITY

If you currently receive accommodations through the CC Accessibility Resource Center, please make sure to meet with that office well in advance of departing the U.S., as well as consulting closely with your study abroad provider or faculty member to learn more about what medical or accessibility accommodations are available, and to develop a plan.

GETTING SUPPORT ON SITE

iF you need help identifying a care provider in-country (mental health provider, medical specialty), your program/in-country director, program support staff, and/or faculty member can help connect you with suggestions and information. You can also access CC International SOS assistance through the app or by phone. 

Colorado College policies on Travel Advisory levels and safety in study abroad, both on CC-faculty led programming and approved partner programs, can be found on our Eligibility & College Policies for Study Abroad & Away page.

You can also review the U.S. Department of State's travel advice on any nation at their website. 

All students going abroad should investigate the local resources available to inform yourself about risks and hazards, and steps you can take to make it less likely that you will encounter an unsafe situation (and develop an action plan for what to do, in the event of an emergency).

The U.S. Department of State puts together country information sheets for every country in the world. Starting with reading the one for the country where you will be studying (and any that you may be visiting) is a good place to get a broad overview of what to expect. There are sections covering Safety & Security, Entry and Exit Requirements, Travel & Transportation, Health, Local Laws, and more.

You may also find it helpful to read the consular information sheets from other English-speaking nations such as Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom, as their take on a country's security situation may vary from the one presented by the U.S. State Department, and it can be helpful to consider multiple sources.

We recommend that all students, staff, and faculty traveling abroad register for their trip with the U.S. Embassy via their STEP Program (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program). When you do, this also automatically signs you up for warnings or alerts that may be triggered by a security or safety situation, whether political, environmental, weather-related, or other.

It is important to have emergency phone numbers close at hand in physical form (not just accessible on your cell phone, in case that is stolen or the battery dies). Print out this wallet card and fill in your important, must-have information.

Consider the personal safety tips that the Peace Corps gives their worldwide volunteers.