B.2.g. Student Health Policies

Pandemic Preparedness: Student Information Requiremen t

Middlebury College Policy on HIV Infection

Parton Center for Health and Wellness

Parton Center for Health and Wellness ("Parton") promotes student well-being. Our medical and counseling staff are here to help students when physical, emotional, or interpersonal issues become a problem. In addition, we have a wealth of health and wellness resources to support students as they navigate a demanding academic and social schedule.

1. Health Forms

A completed Middlebury College Health Form is required prior to course registration. Forms are due:

July 1 for September matriculation
October 31 for February matriculation

2. Commitment to Confidentiality

a. Understanding Your Health Record/Information

Each time you visit Parton Center for Health and Wellness (Counseling, Health Services, and Sports Medicine), or when Parton has an interaction with a third party about you, the information is documented in a secured, password protected electronic health file that is accessible only to Parton Center for Health and Wellness staff. Typically, this record contains a summary of your presenting concerns and symptoms, physical exam and/or counseling intake, test results, diagnoses, counseling progress notes, treatment and plan for future course of treatment if appropriate. This information makes up your “health record” or personal health information, and serves as a:

Basis for planning your care and treatment;
Means of communication with other health professionals who contribute to your care;
Legal document describing the care you received;
Source of information for public health officials charged with protecting the health of this state and the nation (only under very restricted circumstances);
Tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the care we render and the outcomes we achieve.

You are entitled to receive a copy of your health records, or we can prepare a summary for you. Because these are professional records, they may be best interpreted by someone who is a health professional. If you wish to see your records, we recommend you review them with us so that we can discuss the contents. In accordance with state law, Parton Center for Health and Wellness retains your records for a period of seven (7) years. More information about your medical records can be found here.

Confidentiality

Health records at Parton are confidential and are completely separate from all other College records. Students have the right to revoke or restrict authorization to share health care information, and Parton will not release any information about you without your written permission, except under the following conditions:

As authorized or required by law (i.e., when we are presented with a valid court order requiring us to release records);
As necessary to protect you or others from a serious threat to health and safety, or to protect property from a serious threat of damage;
As necessary to notify parents and/or deans when you have a serious mental or physical health problem and are unable to assume responsibility for notifying others.

In addition, Parton medical, sports medicine, and counseling staff confer with one another as needed to provide integrated care for you. Parton also works with Porter Hospital and the Counseling Service of Addison County (CSAC) to ensure a full range of medical and mental health options for students; when students receive treatment at multiple offices, we exchange only such information as is needed to maintain continuity of care. Students may make requests to Parton, Porter or CSAC to revoke or restrict authorization to share such information.

Please note: Middlebury College and Parton Center for Health and Wellness are not subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and therefore are not required to comply with the various federal regulations relating to the use and disclosure of health information. Middlebury College is, however, committed to protecting student privacy. This policy should not be interpreted as creating any contractual rights and Middlebury College reserves the right to make changes to this policy at any time without prior notice.

3. Vaccines

Vermont law requires that all students submit an immunization record, including proof of:

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): two doses after the student's first birthday
Meningococcal vaccine
Hepatitis B vaccine series
Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular Pertussis (Tdap)
Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine: two dose series for people 13 and older who have not had chickenpox.

Some students, including those who travel abroad will benefit from:

Hepatitis A vaccine series
Typhoid vaccine
Other travel vaccines depend on destination and can be determined at a travel visit at Parton.

Due to the length of time some vaccine series require, we recommend that all students considering travel abroad also consider receiving the Hepatitis A vaccine series prior to matriculation.

4. Pandemic Preparedness: Student Information Requirement

All Middlebury College students are required to develop and enter a personal evacuation plan.

Middlebury College has expanded and updated its Emergency Plan to include the threat of severe illness, including pandemic flu. Because of the potential need for a quick response to an outbreak, individuals are the only people who can effectively plan for themselves. All Middlebury College students are required to develop and submit at least one Personal Evacuation Plan. Students will not be allowed to register for their second semester of classes until they have entered a plan (via Banner Web) that meets the minimum required elements.

5. Middlebury College Policy on HIV Infection

The Middlebury College policy on HIV infection was revised in 1992 by the HIV Task Force, composed of Middlebury College students, staff, and faculty. The revised policy expresses a commitment to prevention of the disease through education, outlines services available in the campus community to individuals living with HIV, and sets guidelines for dealing with HIV-related issues. Copies of the policy are available to students at Parton, the Commons offices and online on the Parton website.

6. Records Retention Policy

Parton Center for Health and Wellness, in order to establish guidelines for the maintenance, retention, preservation and disposal of medical records that are created or maintained by it, hereby adopts the following policy for preserving those records.

Policy

It is the policy of Parton Center for Health and Wellness:

(1) to retain medical records for the period of time required by applicable law and regulation as indicated in these guidelines;

(2) to dispose of medical records promptly, in the appropriate manner after they have satisfied their required retention period, unless they are the subject of a Litigation Hold;

(3) to preserve medical records subject to a Litigation Hold, if the records would otherwise be disposed of.

Retention Guidelines

Medical records are to be retained for the time periods indicated as follows. The medical records may be maintained in paper or electronic format, as appropriate and may be stored on-site or off-site, in accordance with the need to access the records. The creator or receiver of the medical records is responsible for retaining the record.

Some records are not subject to any retention period and can be discarded when they do not have administrative value. Other documents are not considered “records” within the meaning of this policy and need to be maintained only as long they have administrative value. Documents that are not considered “records” include: duplicate copies of correspondence or other documents, blank forms, and transitory messages used for informal communication of information only, such as voice mails, self-sticking notes and phone messages. Documents that are not “records” may be discarded when they do not have administrative value.

RECORDS	RETENTION PERIOD
Medical records - Adults (over 18)	7 years from last date of treatment (graduation)
Medical records – Minors (under 18)	The longer of 7 years from date of treatment or until the patient is 25

Disposal Guidelines

Records should be disposed of promptly if they do not need to be retained in accordance with these guidelines. It is costly to manage and store records and the intention of these guidelines is to manage this process while meeting Parton Center for Health and Wellness’s legal obligations. Records must be disposed of in a manner that safeguards confidential, sensitive or proprietary information contained in the records.

Litigation Hold Guidelines

The Executive Director shall be notified immediately if an employee receives notification of any claim or complaint that could lead to litigation or governmental investigation. The Executive Director will evaluate the information and communicate with the appropriate employees to assure that all evidence and records relating to the matter are preserved until the litigation or investigation is complete. No employee should discard any document subject to a Litigation Hold.