Student Health & Wellness Center

What is TLU Care?

TLU Care is a convenient and cost-effective way for individuals to receive health care and counseling for common conditions that can be safely and accurately diagnosed and treated online. TLU Care allows you to access a doctor or counselor from your residence hall, home, or anywhere, 24/7/365, via a short phone visit or secure video visit.

What conditions can be treated by TLU Care?
Licensed providers are trained to treat a wide range of conditions. The most common include: colds, sinus infections, influenza, bladder infections (UTI), pink eye, and yeast infections. Other medical conditions treated by TLU Care include: canker or cold sores, styes, swimmer’s ear, burns, lower back pain, insect bites, Pertussis, allergies/hay fever, sexually transmitted diseases, acne, athlete’s foot, chickenpox, eczema or dermatitis, ingrown toenail, jock itch, ringworm, shingles, tinea, constipation and/or diarrhea (IBS), heartburn or acid reflux, and more.TLU Care can also offer assistance with quitting tobacco, malaria prevention, and motion sickness prevention.

TLU Care can help with mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, eating disorders, grief, and loss.

Who makes the diagnosis?
A licensed, board-certified TLU Care provider physician (MD), nurse practitioner (NP), or physician assistant (PA) will review and discuss your symptoms, make a diagnosis, and develop your treatment plan.

Can I get a prescription?
TLU Care providers are licensed and able to prescribe certain medications as part of your care plan, if clinically appropriate. Examples of medications prescribed by TLU Care providers include antibiotics, inhalers, eyedrops, and antihistamines, as well as other therapeutic medications. TLU Care providers can also refill short-term supplies of maintenance medications in the event of a patient’s transition to a new doctor or inability to get in touch with their primary care doctor due to limited hours or appointments.

TLU Care does believe in safe prescribing of medications and the need for a patient to have a relationship with their primary care doctor. As such, TLU Care providers do not supply long-term medications for chronic illness and encourage patients to see their primary care doctor at least once a year. TLU Care providers do not provide prescriptions for controlled substances, lifestyle medications, hormone replacement therapies, or potentially dangerous or addictive drugs.

How do I get a prescription filled?
TLU Care is not an online pharmacy, and they cannot fill prescriptions. If a prescription medication is part of your treatment plan, it will be sent to the pharmacy of your choice. You are responsible for the cost of any prescriptions, over-the-counter treatments, or follow-up visits you may need related to prescriptions. TLU Care counselors cannot write prescriptions.

How does online counseling work?
After logging in with your TLU credentials, you can select “Provider Care”. Select “Mental Health Care” and answer a few simple questions. Then, one of the counselors will call you. Counselors are available 24 hours a day for those needing immediate assistance. TLU Care counselors can treat: men’s issues, women’s issues, stress and anxiety, addictions, depression, eating disorders, grief and loss, trauma and PTSD, panic disorders, and much more.

Is there a limit on counseling appointments?
Students may schedule up to twelve counseling appointments a semester. There is no limit on crisis counseling.

To comply with state law, TLU requires that all new students, including transfers and readmissions, be immunized against bacterial meningitis (MCV4). The vaccination must have been given during the 5 years preceding and at least 10 days before the first day of the first semester enrolled. Students 22 years of age and older are exempt from this law.

Acceptable evidence of vaccination includes: an official record from a state or local health authority, a school record, or a record from a physician’s office, including signature or stamp of the practitioner and month/day/year of vaccination. Vaccination from a pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) is acceptable, but documentation of the vaccination is required (not just a receipt). Students will upload and submit their proof of meningitis vaccination through their Student Health Form. Students may access the Student Health Form using the link on their Student Status Page.

A student has the right to claim exemption if the student submits: (1) an affidavit or certificate signed by a physician who is duly registered and licensed to practice medicine in the United States, in which it is stated that, in the physician’s opinion, the vaccination would be injurious to the health of the student; or (2) an affidavit signed by the student stating that the student declines the vaccination for reasons of conscience, including religious belief. A conscientious exemption form from the Texas Department of State Health Services must be used for on-campus students. This form must be notarized.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that meningococcal disease strikes up to 3,000 Americans, killing 300 people a year. Up to 15 percent of those with the disease may suffer long-term or permanent disabilities including hearing loss, limb amputations, and brain damage.

Independence and Confidentiality Issues

Most freshmen are at least 18 years old. In Texas, that means that they are now able to make all their own medical decisions and sign medical consents.

Breaking confidentiality and releasing information without permission from a student is against the law. It is helpful for parents to understand that health care providers may not release information about the health care of their children to anyone without the student’s signed consent.

If your student will be under 18 from move-in date on into the semester, you will need to check and sign the “Parent/Guardian Authorization” section of the Health Form. This gives your consent for your student to be treated by the nurse and doctor.

Pre-College Health Exam

A physical exam is required of all intercollegiate athletes before they arrive on campus. Cheerleaders and athletic trainers are included. Other students do not need to have an exam on file.

Immunizations

A Meningococcal Meningitis vaccination is required by state law. All students under the age of 22 who are new, transfer, or readmits are required to show proof of vaccination. Contact your admissions representative for details.

Current immunization for the following are recommended for all students:

• DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis): Your student should get a booster if he or she has not had one within the past 10 years.
• Polio: The series should have been completed in childhood.
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella): Students should have two vaccinations.
• Hepatitis B: A blood-borne virus, considered to be a sexually transmitted disease, can cause inflammation of the liver, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, and liver cancer and failure. The vaccination is given in a three-dose series over a six-month period.

Medical Records and Prescriptions

If your student has chronic medical problems, it is an excellent idea to have your primary health care provider send the health center a summary of the student’s care, needed interventions, any restrictions on activity, and medications used. If the problem involves a disability for which they will need accommodation in the classroom, please contact TLU’s ADA Coordinator, Dr. Marlene Rendon, as soon as possible.

The Student Health and Wellness Center does not dispense prescription medications. There are several chain pharmacies (Wal-Mart, HEB, CVS, Walgreens) in town. Unlike summer camp, your student is allowed to keep all their medications in their room. If they take an injectable prescription (i.e., insulin), they will need a regulation sharps container for disposal of used needles.

Local Healthcare Facilities

Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, with a 24-hour emergency room, is located on the east side of Seguin. EMS (911) is available for emergencies. Local physician referral line: 830-303-4846.

First Aid Supplies

Every student should have some basic health care supplies and equipment to deal with minor illnesses and injuries.

Suggestions include:

Band-Aids, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, medications for colds/allergies, digital thermometer, chemical cold pack (to reduce swelling after a fall, for example), etc.

Insurance

Proof of health insurance is only required of athletes and international students. The university does not offer an insurance plan to students.