Health Promotion Appointments
Columbia Health provides Health Promotion Appointments (HPAs) for students through Alice! Health Promotion. If you’re interested in attending an HPA, begin by completing the Health Promotion Appointment Intake Form or attending Health Education drop-in hours.
Health Promotion Appointments at Columbia Health
Columbia Health offers Health Promotion Appointments (HPAs) for students to meet one-on-one with an Alice! Health Promotion team member to discuss on- and off-campus resources and services to support health and well-being. The purpose of this visit is to guide and direct students to resources and systems of support as well as high-quality health information.
HPAs are non-diagnostic, non-clinical, and not therapy. Sessions are confidential and HIPAA-compliant. All sessions are offered virtually, unless otherwise requested.
Topics for HPAs might include, but are not limited to:
- Navigating the US healthcare system (like finding a mental health provider or a medical specialist)
- Navigating health & well-being resources within Columbia Health, at the University, or off-campus in New York City or around the world
- Building community and developing a support system on-campus
- Finding resources to navigate stressful or frustrating situations with friends, roommates, or faculty
- Connecting to basic need support services, including food, housing, & financial security
- Talking about your health to faculty & staff within your School, Academic Department, and across the University
Who is eligible?
Services are available to all students on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses. This includes those at Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary, and Jewish Theological Seminary.
How do I attend a health promotion appointment?
To attend a health promotion appointment:
- Complete the Health Promotion Appointment Intake Form. When you start the intake form, you'll be prompted to log in with your UNI and password. This is to ensure confidentiality and that you're a student enrolled at the University.
- After submitting the intake form, you will be directed to our scheduling system to make an appointment. You will also receive a follow-up email with a link to schedule an appointment.
If you have concerns about sharing your UNI or additional questions, come to our Health Education drop-in hours or call our office at 212-854-5453 during business hours.
How much will it cost?
You will pay no additional costs for Health Promotion Appointments.
What else do I need to know?
If you’d like help finding on-and-off campus resources before attending your Health Promotion Appointment, you can use our Wayfinding Guides for help.
Where can I learn more about this?
If you’d like to learn more about health promotion before you attend an appointment, you can learn more from some of the answers at Columbia Health’s Q&A resource, Go Ask Alice!.
Here are a few selected Q&As to get you started:
- Why Promote Health?
- Is it important to have a Primary Healthcare Provider?
- What are the different types of therapists?
- Why did my pain specialist dump me as a patient?
- How can I get LGBTQ+ healthcare without using my parent’s insurance?
- How do I navigate life with a congenital defect?
- Where can I stay during break?
- What should I do if my classmates seem to breeze through coursework while I struggle?
Frequently Asked Questions
No! HPAs are available to all Columbia students on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, regardless of their enrollment status or insurance coverage.
Students will not leave an appointment with a prescription. The appointment will help you to identify and get connected to a healthcare provider, including scheduling an appointment in the future or reaching out to a provider for additional support.
You will not get a referral at your HPA. Instead, our staff will help you identify the relevant provider or other resources and get you connected to them to request a referral.
There is no additional cost for students during an HPA. Our staff can go over the Columbia Health and Related Services fee and ways to access other Columbia Health departments, including the fees for additional services.