Resources
Access vital health and wellness resources at Seattle U, including medical services, counseling, student support, and peer health education.
Ask the Student Health Center
Are there any questions that this website doesn't address? Do you have a question that you feel like you need to discuss in detail?
We can be reached from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday at 206-296-6300. You may also email us at studenthealthcenter@henxing.net
Student Support Center
Find resources for many student support needs at the Student Support Center including chat options.
Office of Wellness and Health Promotion
- Wellness and Health Promotion website has many resources
- Health and Wellness Crew - HAWC is made up of student volunteers who are trained as certified peer health educators.
Home Care
Cold, Flu and Covid
- I'm sick, what can I do?
- Most of the time when we are sick it is caused by virus. Unfortunately, most of the time you just have to get through it and manage your symptoms. Please see our Respiratory Symptom Management handout for recommendations.
- Cold & Flu kits are available at the Student Health Center as well as the Office of Wellness and Health Promotion (Student Center 380)
- Keep your germs to yourself.
- Good hand washing
- Cover your cough and sneezes with a clean tissue, not your hands, and immediately dispose of kleenex then wash your hands. If a tissue is not available then use your elbow/upper sleeve.
- Use and Care of Masks
How do I avoid getting sick?
- Get the COVID vaccine as soon as you're eligible
- Flu vaccine is available yearly in the fall
- Hopefully we have a vaccine against COVID sometime in 2021
- Good hand washing
- Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth
For more COVID info please go to COVID-19 RESOURCES
Nausea and/or Vomiting
Seek immediate emergency care if:
- Blood in vomit (bright red or "coffee grounds" appearance"
- Severe headache or stiff neck
- Confused, lethargic, or decreased alertness
- Severe abdominal pain
- Rapid breathing or pulse
How to treat:
- Drink clear liquids, start with a sip every 5-10 minutes and gradually increase if your stomach tolerates (water, non-citrus juice, broth, sports drinks)
- Avoid solid food until vomiting has passed, when tolerating liquids start with bland, easy to digest foods (toast, saltines, plain rice or pasta, bananas, oatmeal, applesauce)
- If vomiting and diarrhea for more than 24 hours oral rehydrating solutions should be used such as Pedialyte or watered down electrolyte drink
When to call your healthcare provider:
- Signs of dehydration
- Vomiting lasting more than 24 hours
Diarrhea
Seek immediate emergency care if:
- Severe abdominal or rectal pain
- Signs of dehydration
- Confused, lethargic, or decreased alertness
- Severe abdominal pain
- Rapid breathing or pulse
How to treat:
- Stay hydrated by drinking clear liquids (water, non-citrus juice, broth, sports drinks), if you also have nausea start with sips
- Start with bland, easy to digest foods (toast, saltines, plain rice or pasta, bananas, oatmeal, applesauce, potatoes, smooth peanut butter, skinless chicken, yogurt)
- Avoid foods that can diarrhea or gas worse (fatty or fried foods, raw fruits and vegetables, spicy foods, beans, caffeinated drinks)
- Most of the time diarrhea doesn't need to be treated but an over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication can help such as Imodium or Pepto-Bismol
When to call your healthcare provider:
- Diarrhea lasts longer than a few days
- Signs of dehydration
- Fever above 102 F (39 C)
- Abdominal or rectal pain
- Bloody or black tarry stools
- Recent travel to a country with risk of travelers diarrhea
Symptoms of Dehydration
- Excessive thrist
- Dry mouth or skin
- Little or no urination
- Dark colored urine
- Dizziness/lightheadedness especially with standing
How to treat:
- Rest and elevation of injury above the level of your heart
- Ice for 15-20 minutes every 2-3 hours x 48 hours or until swelling improved
- Only ice for the first 48 hours, but can use ice or heat after that time
- Compression with ace bandage if a location that wrapping is feasible
- Over-the-counter NSAID such as Advil or Aleve for swelling then as needed for pain. Take with food because these medications can cause upset stomach.
When to call a healthcare provider:
- Pain is severe or doesn't get better with over-the-counter medications, elevation, and ice
- For lower extremity injuries if you can't walk or you have severe pain when you do
- Go to the emergency room if bone is clearly broken or joint is out of alignment
STD and HIV/AIDS
STD risk assessment and testing is available at the Seattle U Student Health Center as well as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). Please call to schedule your appointment.
Reliable sources of information
- Center for Disease Control (CDC) Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Chlamydia
- Genital Herpes
- Gonorrhea
- Hepatitis
- HIV/AIDS
- World Health Organization - HIV/AIDS Surveillance
In addition to the SU SHC some other close resources for testing:
- Lifelong Client Services Center
1016 E Pike Street, 3rd floor, Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 957-1600 - Sexual Health Clinic at Harborview
Ninth & Jefferson Building, 908 Jefferson St., 11th floor, Seattle, WA 98104
206-744-3590 - Gay City
517 E. Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122
206-860-6969
24 hour crisis line: 866-427-4747 - WA Department of Health - Find a testing site for HIV test
View an educational video regarding HPV Immunization created by a Seattle University Doctor of Nursing Student: Click here.
Physical Activity
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Physical Activity
- American Heart Association Fitness
- Seattle University resources through UREC
Why is sleep important for college students?
- Physical health - sleep is the time our bodies rest and recover. This is the time for the body to heal, regulate hormones, and allow the immune system to maintain consistent function.
- Emotional health - sleep deprivation can cause irritability, lack of motivation, difficulty interactive with others, and a tendency to make riskier decisions.
- Healthy brain functioning - sleep allows are body form new neural pathways which makes it more capable of acquiring and processing new information.
How do get a good night's rest?
- Tips on getting a good night’s rest.
- Refresh Sleep Program is a email delivered program to improve sleep quality offered by Wellness and Health Promotion.
- Reduce stress through mindfulness and meditation. One tool is the Sanvello App.
- What does a healthy relationship look like? Check out this article in Psychology Today
- Wellness and Health Promotions also has great information about healthy relationships
- What vaccines do you need? Check out the Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool
Mental Health
CRISIS LINES AND HOTLINES
If you or someone around you is experiencing an emergency or are in a crisis, please call one of the numbers below to get in touch with someone right away:
- King County 24 Hr. Crisis Connections - 866-427-4747
- King County 24 Hr. Sexual Assault Resource Center - 888-998-6423
- Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741-741
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 988 (call or text; chat at www.988lifeline.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline - 800-799-7233
- National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800-656-4673
- Veterans Crisis Line - 988, then press 1
- Suicide...Read this First
Need a person to help emergently?
- Call 9-1-1
- Call Seattle University Public Safety at 206-296-5911
- Go to a local emergency room
SU Public Safety can provide transport
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- Individual Counseling
- Contact at 206-296-6090
- Community Resources
Campus Ministry
- Pastoral Care and Conversations
- Contact at 206-296-6075
Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs
Not a Moment Wasted
Make Time for You
- Now is the moment to discover who you are. Work for your future. Master your studies. Get your degree. Make friends. And live—happier, healthier.
Alcohol and marijuana can stand in the way. - Resources for young adults in WA State, covering health risks and other consequences related to underage recreational marijuana and alcohol use.
- Not A Moment Wasted
I want to quit or at least think about it. What now?
- Plan!!!
- Consider medications to help with nicotine withdrawal.
- Find your support.
What if I'm not ready to quit?
- You can still plan and think about why you're not ready and what needs to happen
- Give yourself permission to fail. Every attempt is one attempt closer.
- Protect those around you from second-hand and third-hand smoke
Other resources
Vaping
Are you curious about your alcohol use?
- Check out the Alcohol Screening Tool: "How much is too much?"
- Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and your health
- College Drinking: Changing the Culture
Resources for Alcohol and Addiction
- SU Wellness and Health Promotion
- Washington Recovery Help Line: 24 hour help for substance abuse, problem gambling and mental health
1-866-789-1511
- SU Wellness and Health Promotion
- Marijuana Anonymous - Western Washington 206-414-9270
- Washington Recovery Help Line: 24-hour help for substance abuse, problem gambling and mental health 1-866-789-1511
- Washington Recovery Help Line: 24-hour help for substance abuse, problem gambling and mental health
1-866-789-1511 - Personal Finance for People in Recovery