University of California Health
Student Health and Counseling
University of California Health (UCH) provides medical and clinical risk oversight to the campus Student Health and Counseling Service (SHCS) centers, ensuring that our campus health centers adhere to the highest standards of provider training and ongoing competency evaluations, patient accessibility, quality of care, electronic health records documentation, patient and client privacy, and patient satisfaction.
All University of California campuses are devoted to providing high-quality, accessible, cost-effective healthcare and counseling services to their students through a comprehensive approach.
The campus student health centers offer a wide range of medical services and preventive health programs. Services may include comprehensive primary care for health and wellness, consultation and/or treatment in selected medical specialties, basic urgent care/first aid for the campus community, educational and outreach efforts targeting health promotion and disease prevention. Centers also may include clinical support services such as laboratory testing, prescriptions, and X-Rays.
All University of California students have access to comprehensive primary care medical and mental health services provided at on-campus health centers, regardless of their health insurance carrier. Many services are available on a same-day basis, and most campuses additionally provide on-site ancillary services such as lab, x-ray, and pharmacy services.
The Student Health and Counseling facilities are fully accredited by multiple national independent accrediting agencies to ensure the provision of high-quality, easily accessible and cost-effective care. SHCS clinicians are licensed medical and mental healthcare providers, many of whom are board-certified in their clinical specialties. All SHCS clinicians undergo comprehensive credentialing verification, ongoing assessments of quality of care and patient satisfaction, and must also meet ongoing continuing education requirements.
Students who need specialty medical care or other specialized services not provided at the clinic are referred to local community provider networks, including UC academic health centers and physicians, where available.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides short-term counseling for academic, career and personal issues. Professional counselors meet with students to talk about a variety of issues including:
- adjusting to school
- deciding on a career or major
- dealing with family or relationships
- sexual orientation and identity
- sexual health
- substance abuse
- eating disorders
- pregnancy
- other personal crises.
Students struggling with depression, anxiety and other emotional concerns that have a biological component have access to evaluations by primary care or psychiatric clinicians (psychiatrists and nurse practitioners) to determine if medications might be helpful and to recommend a course of treatment.
UCH, in collaboration with Student Affairs, UC SHIP, and the UC academic health centers, continues to pursue additional resources for the campus-based SHCS centers, and to enhance the network of community and UC-affiliated mental health providers available to provide services to UC students. UCH is also working with these partners to provide innovative programs and services to improve access to psychiatric and other mental health services and to promote student well-being and academic success.