Columbia University Health Services

Health Services at Columbia—along with our colleagues at Chickering Benefit Planning Insurance Agency, Inc., and Aetna, Inc., our partners in student health insurance—adhere to strict standards of confidentiality regarding information about health care services rendered, conditions, or any other privileged information to which Health Services at Columbia, Chickering, or Aetna have access.

Strict standards of confidentiality are maintained in our clinical services. Within Counseling & Psychological Services and Primary Care Medical Services, clinicians work as a team and consult with one another, as needed. When necessary to insure the quality and coordination of health care, there may also be communication between the two clinical services and other divisions of Health Services at Columbia.

Each clinical service maintains secure and private treatment records. These records are not part of students’ educational records and are not available to students’ deans or faculty. To further protect the privacy of students, we require student’s written consent to release information about their care.

There are rare exceptions to the right to privacy and to the confidentiality practices described above, such as in situations that pose a threat to life or in which there is reason to believe a child is being abused. If you have questions regarding our confidentiality policies, please contact us . In Counseling & Psychological Services, questions may be directed to the Assistant Director for Operations, Sara Berger at 212 854 3101, and in Primary Care Medical Services to the Medical Director, Dr. Samuel Seward at 212 854 3187.

The Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) regulates disclosure of disability documentation and records maintained by the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Under this Federal act, prior written consent by the student is required before ODS may release disability documentation or records.

FERPA provides numerous exceptions to the general requirement to seek student consent prioir ro releasing personally identifiable information from educational records. One of the exceptions authorizes ODS to release information to any school official who has a "legitimate educational interest." Another exception is for the health and safety emergencies.

Professors or other school officials, such as tutors, may request information about the impact of a student’s disability on his or her ability to learn. ODS will only share information with other school officials when appropriate and will carefully balance a student’s request for confidentiality and the request for additional, relevant information about the student. ODS seeks to preserve the student’s wish to keep their disability information and status confidential. ODS staff is extremely sensitive to this issue.

Under FERPA, students are also allowed to inspect and review their files maintained by ODS. Students have the right to challenge any information contained in the files that is incorrect, misleading, or not accurate and request an amendment to this misinformation.

For your convenience, throughout our website you will find email addresses listed as an option for contacting members of the Health Services at Columbia staff. However, we cannot guarantee the confidentiality or immediacy of email communication, and therefore email should never be used in an emergency. To discuss confidential issues, or in the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, please make direct contact by telephone or in person to ensure immediate attention to your health care needs.