Ole Miss Student Health Services: A Comprehensive Guide to Health and Wellness
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is committed to supporting the health and well-being of its students, faculty, and staff by offering a wide array of reliable, convenient, and accessible health services. This article provides a detailed overview of the comprehensive health care and wellness resources available on the Ole Miss campus.
Commitment to Health and Wellness
Ole Miss recognizes the importance of maintaining both the physical and mental well-being of its community members. The university provides a range of services designed to meet individual health care needs, ensuring that students, faculty, and staff have access to the support they need to stay healthy and thrive. With experienced and caring staff, these services are easily accessible right on campus.
Overview of Services
Student Health Services
Student Health Services (SHS) offers medical care for a variety of health concerns, including illnesses, injuries, and chronic conditions. Preventive services, such as vaccinations, are also available. SHS provides mental health support, on-site lab testing, and a pharmacy for convenient access to diagnostics and prescriptions.
Making an Appointment: Appointments are recommended for all visits and can be made by calling 662-915-7274. Walk-ins will be given same-day appointments based on availability.
Employee Health Services
Employee Health Services offers outstanding care to members of the university family, providing a range of medical services to support their health and well-being.
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Making an Appointment: Appointments are recommended for all visits and can be made by calling 662-915-6550. A form will be provided to submit through a HIPAA compliant UM Box link to schedule the appointment, ensuring that all submitted information is private and secure.
Physical Therapy
Both Student Health Services and Employee Health Services offer physical therapy to address various physical health needs.
Campus Recreation
Ole Miss offers numerous fitness and recreation options. With two fitness centers, group activities, intramural competition, and more, staying healthy is a way of life on campus.
Red, Blue & Well
Red, Blue & Well is the University of Mississippi’s employee wellness program. It provides services, resources, and programming across all components of wellness.
GROVE Well-Being Initiative
The GROVE Well-Being Initiative assesses the overall health and well-being of the current campus environment, offering resources to enhance well-being.
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Immunization and TB Screening Requirements
For pre-matriculation and enrolled students, the University of Mississippi requires documentation of specific immunizations and TB screening. These requirements are in accordance with the Immunization Requirements for UMMC Schools and Tuberculosis (TB) Screening for Students Policy.
Immunizations
- MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine: Two doses or a positive antibody titer are required.
- Varicella vaccine: Two doses or a positive varicella antibody are required.
- Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis vaccine: One dose of adult Tdap is required. If the last Tdap is more than 10 years old, provide the date of the latest Td or Tdap booster received within the past 10 years.
- Hepatitis B vaccine: A 2-dose (Heplisav-B) or a 3-dose (Engerix-B or Recombivax HB) hepatitis B vaccine series and a hepatitis B surface antibody are required. The hepatitis B surface antibody results can be either positive or negative but must be dated at least 30 days following completion of the hepatitis B vaccine series. A positive hepatitis B surface antibody titer without documentation of appropriate doses of hepatitis vaccination is insufficient in the absence of a history of resolved hepatitis B infection. If a student has a positive hepatitis B surface antibody AND can provide clinical or laboratory documentation of prior, resolved hepatitis B infection, this combination will be acceptable documentation of immunity. Such students should contact Student and Employee Health for guidance about what documentation of prior infection is acceptable.
- Influenza vaccine: One dose annually during flu season (October-March).
- Meningococcal Vaccine: Both MenACWY and MenB (Bexsero or Trumenba) series are required for microbiology students and students with anatomic/functional asplenia or persistent complement component deficiencies. Those routinely exposed to N. meningitides isolates should receive one dose of meningococcal vaccine with a booster dose every 5 years. This is optional for other students.
TB Screening
- Incoming Students: A two-step TB Skin test or a TB Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) blood test is required for baseline TB screening of all students. The approved IGRA tests are QuantiFERON-TB Gold and T-Spot tests. Students who choose to screen using a TB skin test must submit documentation of a two-step TB skin test performed within 90 days (3 months) prior to school entry. The second dose of the two-step TB test must be placed within 28 days of the initial TB skin test. If the TB skin or the IGRA test is positive, a chest x-ray report must also be submitted. Students residing in the United States who have been undergoing annual TB skin test screening prior to enrollment may submit two or more consecutive annual reports of negative TB skin tests, one of which must have been done within three months of school enrollment, in lieu of the two-step TB skin test. Students with a previously positive TB skin test or students with a history of immunization with BCG should submit an IGRA test report obtained within 90 days (3 months) of school entry. Students who have been treated for latent TB infection in the past are required to complete a pulmonary history form and submit a copy of the treatment record and chest X-ray report. International students: Proof of tuberculosis screening by an IGRA test and chest X-ray reports, both performed in the United States within 45 days of school enrollment.
- Current Students: Annual TB screening is required for all students.
Women's Health Services
Ole Miss Student Health Services provides comprehensive health care addressing the specific needs and concerns of women. Services include:
- Routine annual gynecological exams and counseling
- Referrals to gynecologists when indicated for management of abnormal pap smears
- Treatment for menstrual irregularity
- Testing, treatment, and information about genital infections and sexually transmitted diseases
- Counseling on sexual activity and decision making for good health and wellness
- Information on methods of birth control
- Pregnancy testing, counseling, and referrals
- Gardasil (human papilloma virus/HPV) vaccine
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a common virus that affects the skin in the genital area, as well as a female’s cervix. Depending on the type of HPV, symptoms can be in the form of wartlike growths or abnormal cell changes. HPV is considered the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the US.
Symptoms
There are many different types of genital HPV; some cause genital warts, and some cause abnormal cell changes in a woman’s cervix.
Genital Warts
The types of HPV that cause raised external genital warts are not linked with cancer and are called “low-risk” types. Genital warts appear as growths or bumps and may be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large. They tend to be flesh-colored or whitish in appearance. Warts usually do not cause itching or burning. The warts will not disappear on their own and may continue to grow if left untreated.
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Sometimes genital warts are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, a person may not even know she or he has HPV and genital warts.
Some people only have one episode of warts, while others have recurrences. When warts are present, the virus is considered active. When warts are gone, the virus remains latent in the skin cells and may or may not be contagious at this time. Warts may appear within several weeks after sexual contact with someone who has a wart-type of HPV, or it may take several months or years to appear. This makes it hard to know exactly when or from whom someone got the virus.
Cervical Changes
Other types of HPV can cause abnormal cell changes on the genital skin, usually on a female’s cervix. These types of HPV are linked with cervical cancer and are usually called high-risk types. There are usually no symptoms for this type of HPV, and women need to get regularly screened by a pap smear to detect these changes. Individuals can be exposed and have more than one type of HPV, including several high-risk types.
Most of the time, men will not have any symptoms or health risks with the high-risk types of HPV. While they do not have symptoms, men can be carriers and unknowingly transmit HPV to their sexual partners.
Transmission of HPV
HPV, regardless of the type, is usually spread by direct skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal, or (rarely) oral sex with someone who has this infection. Genital warts are most likely to be transmitted when symptoms (warts) are actually present, but sometimes warts are too small to see with the naked eye. Warts are not commonly found in the mouth, so some experts believe that transmission through oral sex is not likely.
The types of HPV that cause genital warts do not usually cause warts on other body parts such as the hands. Warts on other parts of the body are caused by different types of HPV. People do not get genital warts by touching warts on their hands or feet.
Testing
Testing for Warts
It can be hard to tell the difference between a wart and normal bumps on the genital area. If you have any bumps or growths, visit the Student Health Center and have the area examined by a clinician.
To look for warts or other abnormal tissue, the clinician may put acetic acid (vinegar) on the genitals. This causes warts to turn white and makes them easier to see, especially if they are viewed through a magnifying lens.
Testing for Cervical Changes
Abnormal cervical changes on a female are detected through a pap smear. The pap test is a screening to find abnormal cell changes on the cervix before they become cancerous. During a pelvic exam, a small brush or cotton-tipped applicator will be used to take a swab of cervical cells. These cells are then put in a container with liquid and sent to the laboratory for evaluation.
If the pap smear shows abnormal cells, an HPV test may be performed to determine the type of HPV. This test checks directly for the genetic material (DNA) of HPV within cells and can detect the types connected with cervical cancer. The test can be done with the same cell sample taken during the pap test.
The HPV test cannot be used on males. The FDA has only approved its use on the female’s cervix, and research has shown that the HPV test usually shows false-negative results in men. These false negatives occur because it is difficult to get a good cell sample to test from the thick skin on the penis. There is currently no testing available to determine if a male has a type of HPV that causes cervical changes. Most of the time, men will not have any health risks such as cancer with the high-risk types of HPV.
There are no blood tests available to diagnose a person for HPV.
Treatment
HPV is a virus, and there is currently no cure. However, there are several treatment options available for both genital warts and cervical changes. The goal of treatment should be to remove visible genital warts or the abnormal cells. No one treatment is best for all cases. When choosing what treatment to use, the clinician will consider the type of HPV; patient preference; cost of treatment; convenience; size, location and number of warts; changes in the warts; location of abnormal cells; results of the pap smear; colposcopy; biopsy and HPV test; adverse effects; and their own experience with the treatments.
Genital Warts
- Cryotherapy (freezing off the wart with liquid nitrogen). This can be relatively inexpensive and must be done by a trained clinician.
- TCA (trichloracetic acid). This chemical is applied to the surface of the wart.
- Surgical removal. This has the advantage of getting rid of warts in a single office visit.
- Electrocautery (burning off warts with an electrical current).
- Laser therapy (using an intense light to destroy warts). This is used for larger or extensive warts, especially those that have not responded well to other treatments. Laser therapy can also be very expensive.
- At-home prescription creams. These creams are self-applied, safe, and easy to use.
Abnormal Cervical Cells
Sometimes treatment may not even be necessary for mild cervical changes. These cells may heal on their own, and the clinician will just want to monitor the cervix. HPV may then be in a latent state, but it is unknown if it is totally gone or just not detectable. The goal of any treatment will be to remove the abnormal cells, which may also remove most of the cells with HPV. Treatment options include cryotherapy (freezing the cells with liquid nitrogen), LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure), or conization (cone biopsy).
Pregnancy and HPV
Most pregnant women who have had genital warts previously but no longer do would be unlikely to have any complications or problems during pregnancy or birth. Because of hormone changes in the body during pregnancy, warts can grow in size and number, bleed, or, in extremely rare cases, make delivery harder. Very rarely, babies exposed to the wart-types of HPV during birth may develop growths in the throat; however, this risk is so minimal that a cesarean-section delivery is not necessary unless warts are blocking the birth canal.
For some pregnant women, cervical changes may increase. This may be due to hormone changes during pregnancy, but this is not proven. If a woman has an abnormal pap smear during pregnancy, even if it’s severely abnormal, many health-care providers will not prescribe treatment. They will just monitor the cervix closely with a colposcope during the pregnancy. A few weeks after delivery of the baby, the provider will look at the cervix again and do another pap smear or another biopsy. Many times after pregnancy, the cell changes will have spontaneously resolved and no treatment will be necessary. The types of HPV that can cause cell changes on the cervix and genital skin have not been found to cause problems for babies.
Prevention
Any person who is sexually active may come in contact with this common virus. Ways to reduce your risk include not having sex with anyone or having sex only with one partner who has sex only with you. People who have many sex partners are at higher risk of getting other STIs.
If someone has visible symptoms of genital warts, he or she should not have sexual activity until the warts are removed. This may help to lower the risk of giving the virus.
Condoms used correctly from start to finish for each act of sex may provide some protection. Because HPV is transmitted skin-to-skin, and condoms do not cover the entire genital region, it is still possible to transmit the virus.
HPV Vaccine/Gardasil
Gardasil 9 is the new HPV vaccine and is now available at Student Health Services. Students should call 662-915-7274 to make an appointment.
The purpose of this vaccine is to prevent cervical cancer and some cases of genital warts. Gardasil is effective against nine types of HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58). Types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of cases of genital warts, and types 16 and 18 cause 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer. The vaccine will not protect women against other subtypes (more than 100 exist), so it is important for them to have annual exams and regular pap smears, and to talk with their doctors if they note any changes that may be warts.
The vaccine is approved for women and girls aged 9-26. It is recommended that girls become vaccinated at age 11 or 12 (although it can be started as young as 9 years of age). It has not been studied in older women or in men, although there will be such studies in the future. The vaccine has undergone vigorous efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity trials and has been approved by the FDA.
The vaccine requires three doses. The second dose should be received two months after the first and the third dose six months after the first. Side effects are mild and infrequent and include pain, itching, and swelling at the injection site (similar to other vaccines) and rarely, fever. A person should not get Gardasil if she is allergic to it or are pregnant. Anyone thinking about being vaccinated should check with her insurance company to see if the vaccine is covered.
Even women diagnosed with HPV will derive some benefit from the vaccine if they have not already been infected with one of the four types in the vaccine
All sexually active women are at risk for HPV. It is estimated that 75-80 percent of all sexually active adults in the United States are infected.
UHS Patient Portal
The UHS Patient Portal is a one-stop shop for managing health on the go. This easy-to-use platform puts healthcare in your hands, making it simpler than ever to stay on top of your wellness.
Features:
- Access summaries of previous medical visits, making it easier to keep track of health history.
- Check lab results after the provider has reviewed them.
- Access educational materials and handouts provided by healthcare professionals to help understand and manage health better.
- Securely upload insurance details, ensuring that information is on file and ready for any healthcare needs.
Additional Resources
- Interpretation Services: LanguageLine Solutions is utilized to assist with health needs if language is a barrier.
- Health and Wellness Events: Check out health and wellness events across campus, including the monthly staff event, Food for the Soul, on Thursdays.
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