The lowdown on UAA’s Student Health and Counseling Center

UAA’s Student Health and Counseling provides a space for students to seek medical aid. The program is located on the first floor of Rasmuson Hall, Room 120, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a one-hour break from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.

Health promotion specialist Summer Sweet discussed health counseling provided by UAA with The Northern Light.

Sweet said she and Sarah Mills — alcohol, wellness and drug wellness educator — both work on the Health Promotion team to keep students informed about health services provided by UAA. 

Students who wish to utilize the on-campus clinic for physical and mental health services need to be registered for at least one credit and have paid their student fees. 

Some of the available physical health services include standard checkups, travel vaccines, STI screenings, sexual health information and medication management.

Mental health services include counseling and an on-campus psychiatric nurse practitioner who can prescribe medications to students, as well as assist in any ongoing conditions where students may need to see a health professional. 

Student Health and Counseling has implemented a $10 fee for each appointment this year. Depending on the visitation and what students are seeking assistance for, insurance may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Sweet said that walk-ins are welcome — especially if a student is in need of immediate assistance — but appointments are preferred. 

September is Suicide Awareness Month and Sarah Mills will be hosting a suicide prevention workshop to inform members of the UAA community on how to detect if someone is at risk and how to talk to someone who may have mentioned suicide. 

UAA students can get involved in the work Sweet supervises by becoming peer health educators. Sweet said the peer health educator positions are funded through a Department of Health grant program.

The grant focuses on violence prevention, substance use — including early intervention — and dementia prevention. 

Sweet said the student position and another grant-funded position, titled “health educator assistant,” cover mental and physical health, accident prevention, safe living situations and social determinants of health. 

Sweet and other counseling contributors visit classrooms throughout campus to educate students and staff on violence prevention and bystander training. 

“If you see something, say something,” said Sweet.

Student Health and Counseling also travels to other UA universities throughout the state to participate in events such as health fairs and prevention and awareness campaigns.

Student Health and Counseling is also affiliated with a basic needs initiative at UAA. Emergency food is provided by the Seawolf Food Pantry and the Seawolf Essentials Center provides free basic needs such as hygiene products, menstrual products, coats and safe sex supplies.

Sweet and the rest of the counseling center are also responsible for providing free menstrual products in some of the restrooms around campus. 

Many students may have recognized the “Lavatory Lowdown” paper that is updated almost every month and placed in nearly every bathroom on campus. 

Sweet said the purpose of the “Lavatory Lowdowns” is to easily inform students of awareness months, programs and events that coincide with the Health and Counseling Center’s ambitions to keep UAA students healthy.

Students seeking counseling or any of the center’s services should not provide any medical information through email. Students have access to a Patient Portal that will allow anyone to securely communicate their medical needs. 

If students would like to stay up to date with UAA’s Student Health and Counseling program, they can follow @uaa_phe_hpt on Instagram, and , contact uaa_studenthealth@uaa.alaska.edu or call 907-786-4050 with any questions.