The School Nurse is available at the Health Center, which is centrally located on campus, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm and Friday from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm. The School Nurse is also on call in the evenings from Monday through Thursday.
A School Doctor is available every week at the Health Center for student appointments and is on call on the weekends. The School Nurse maintains the schedule of appointments.In the event of a medical emergency, a hospital is five miles from campus.
Students must report to the School Nurse before their first class in order to be excused from classes. If a student falls ill during the night, she or he should see the Dorm Parent on duty to arrange for medical attention. A boarding student who is too ill to get to the Health Center in the morning should see the Dorm Parent on duty, send another student to alert the School Nurse, or call the Health Center at 508.650.5030. Students will not be excused after the fact; they must speak to the Nurse before they miss a class.
In the event a student is too sick to stay in his or her dormitory overnight, the School has an arrangement with Wellesley College Health Services for overnight care. Parents are informed of this arrangement if the need arises. Parents bear the cost of overnight care. Once the student is admitted, the Wellesley College Health Services staff determine the extent of his or her stay.
If a day student begins to feel sick during the day, she or he must go see the School Nurse. The student is not excused to go home until the Nurse has been able to contact the parents of the student.
Other Health Services include clinics at the Health Center that are sponsored by a team of professionals. Our unique student body of young artists often requires specialized care for injuries, symptoms of overuse, stress, and related problems. The clinics offer the services of a physical therapist two times a week, and a massage therapist and a nutritionist as needed. These health professionals work with the students in maintaining their levels of performance and educate them about injury prevention. Parents are notified when a student is referred to one of these clinics. Additionally, Walnut Hill students receive priority appointments at the Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine clinic. Use of these services incurs additional costs.
Parents of students with HMO coverage are required to locate an HMO provider in the vicinity of the School and to provide this information to Health Services. Students must provide medical forms prior to, or at the time of, their arrival. Massachusetts state law requires that each student have a signed and completed medical form indicating dates of all immunizations.
Students under the care of a psychiatrist must have a local provider with whom the School may communi–cate. The School provides the on-site services of a psy–chiatric clinical nurse specialist to provide psychophar–mocology services as needed on a fee-for-service basis. In the event that a student refuses medical advice and attention, parents will be contacted. If medical advice and attention are still refused, the School retains the right to require a medical leave for the student.
Counseling Services
The School Counselor provides individual personal support and also serves as the School liaison for out–side professional counseling for students. The counselor’s office is located on the second floor of the Health Center, with hours posted at the beginning of the year. The School Counselor works closely with stu–dents and their parents; standard rules of professional confidentiality apply in the counselor’s conversations with students. The School Counselor maintains a referral list of mental health providers and will arrange care as needed or requested. Use of these providers incurs additional cost.
