Dear Lehigh Students:
We are excited to welcome you back for the Fall 2020 semester, and we wish you the very best for a successful, healthy and safe academic year. As you know, this semester will be unlike any other. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a significant public health threat, it is important for all of us in the campus community to remember to stay vigilant during these extraordinary times. We must all take the necessary steps to mitigate risk and sustain our health and well-being—wear your cloth face coverings, maintain proper social distancing, wash hands frequently, self-monitor symptoms (complete the self-screening tool if coming to campus) and absolutely stay-at-home if you don’t feel well or have other symptoms. It is important that we all take these steps and demonstrate responsibility for ourselves and others, whether taking courses remotely or coming to campus.
The Health & Wellness Center is here to help you stay well during these challenging times. We have implemented several important changes to our procedures and operations to mitigate the risk of potential exposure and transmission of COVID-19 for students seeking care in the health center as well as for health center staff.
- It is critical that any student—living on or off campus, fully remote or not—report symptoms and consult with the Health and Wellness Center. If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result, even if you were not tested by the Health and Wellness Center, you must report this to the Health and Wellness Center to ensure proper contact tracing and to support the health and wellness of the campus and South Bethlehem community.
- The Health & Wellness Center has expanded to include two separate locations: our original location on the third floor of Johnson Hall and a new location in Trembley Park 7 and 8, just south of the University Center. This will allow us to separate students who are ill with COVID-19 symptoms from those who are not.
- To be seen by a health professional, you must first call 610-758-3870 or log onto the HWC electronic health record secure portal to schedule an appointment for a phone assessment. Clinical staff will do a phone assessment of your health concerns and symptoms and will make recommendations for further care. If you are having a medical emergency, call 610-758-4200 if you are on Lehigh’s campus or 911 if you are not on Lehigh’s campus.
- Following the phone assessment by clinical staff, you will be directed to one of the two Health & Wellness Centers for either a telehealth or in-person appointment, depending on the nature, severity and acuity of the symptoms.
- Students with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will be directed to health professionals at Johnson Hall. Those students who do not have any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, who need to be seen in the office for gynecological exams, reproductive health consultations, STI evaluations and treatments, immunizations, blood work, medication consultation, or who are injured, will be directed to Trembley Park.
If you experience symptoms that you believe are consistent with COVID-19, contact the Health and Wellness Center immediately for recommendations for evaluation and testing. You can access information on COVID-19 symptoms, treatment and next steps here.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you must self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days or until determined by the Health & Wellness Center. If you’re living on campus, we will assist in determining if you need to be relocated to on-campus isolation housing. You will be provided with meals and other support during the time you are isolating. Additionally, a contact tracer will interview you to identify any close contacts and reach out to them for any necessary next steps such as quarantine. We will follow up with you until you recover. Identified close contacts will be required to quarantine for 14 days. The location of quarantine will depend on the context of the exposure.
To help answer additional questions that you may have, we also have compiled a list of Health & Wellness Center’s FAQs. You can also find information regarding Health and Safety and other FAQs on the Lehigh COVID-19 Information website.
We at the Health & Wellness Center are committed to helping you stay healthy as you follow your academic pursuits at Lehigh. We thank you for your vigilance and for your understanding during these challenging times.
Sincerely,
David Rubenstein, PsyD
Executive Director, Health & Wellness Center
Sarah Stevens, MD
Medical Director, Health & Wellness Center