Health Services

On-Campus Health Services

IMSA has an on-campus Student Health Services Office staffed by registered nurses. The office is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. during the school year when the students are present. The IMSA Student Health Care Services Offices provide health assessments and treatment for illnesses and injuries, first aid, health counseling, medication administration as prescribed by a physician, and other appropriate therapeutic interventions. All students are required to have insurance while attending the Academy. Off-campus medical resources are also available, payable by the student’s insurance. It is the student’s and parents’ responsibility to register and discuss all prescription medication with the nurse following treatment.

For more information, please contact the Health Office at 630.907.5008 or refer to the Student/Parent Handbook section titled ‘Health Services’.

General Information

  • Healthcare Supplies to Bring to IMSA
  • Respiratory Illness Information
    • A Cold or the Flu (How to tell the difference)
    • Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs. Please review this information with your child and practice/encourage these habits.
    • When to keep your student home from school: The primary reasons we send students home to recover are a fever of  100.0° (or higher), multiple vomiting episodes, or multiple diarrhea episodes. Depending on their assessment, the registered nurse may also recommend that the student recover at home, even if they don’t have these specific symptoms.
    • Procedure for Return to School after Illness: A physician’s note is required if a student is absent for four or more consecutive school days (including I-Days). When students return, they should have recovered sufficiently to be able to carry out all activities of daily living and attend all classes. Upon return, please have your student check in with the health office before attending their first class of the day.
    • Students must be fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications, and their symptoms must be improving. Upon returning to campus, students must be well enough to sit through all classes.  For Respiratory illnesses, we ask that the student wear a mask in common spaces for 5 days after their return to campus, and distance themselves from others when possible.
  • Seizure First Aid: What to do in case of a seizure or convulsions.
  • Food Allergy Emergency Plan: This plan is an additional resource that families can use if they feel their child may need an emergency care plan for allergies. This can be filed in the health office and with the residence counselors.

Requirements

  • Certificate of Child Health Examination: Required for admission as a sophomore, must be dated May 15 or later the same year they are admitted; a sports physical is not accepted for admission nor required for sports since the Certificate of Child Health can be used
  • Sports Physicals: Valid for 13 months; not required for sophomores as Certificate of Child Health may be substituted
  • Authorization for Administration of Prescription Medications Form: Required for all prescription medications taken by the student and is to be completed by the prescribing medical provider, the parent/guardian, and the student. Multiple forms may be submitted if the student has medication prescribed by different providers. A new form is required for all new medications, all dose changes, and at the beginning of every school year. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the Health Office of any new medications, discontinuation of medications, and dose changes. All prescription medications will be kept in the Health Office and administered by the Registered Nurse on staff, IMSA administrator, or delegated staff. Limited exceptions will be made for students to keep prescription medications in their room including: Oral Contraceptive pills, ear and eye drops, short-term antibiotics (less than 14 days), insulin, and all emergency medications.  Any medications (prescription and non-prescription) kept in the student’s rooms must be approved and marked by the Health Office. Unauthorized medication found in a student’s room will be referred for disciplinary action.
  • Asthma Action Plan: Recommended for students with asthma (or those prescribed medications such as Albuterol). The health office has a nebulizer machine for administering aerosol medications during school hours. Students are expected to carry their rescue inhalers (Albuterol) with them at all times. We also have this emergency form that families can fill out regarding asthma.
  • Emergency Allergy Action Plan: Is recommended for the student who has been prescribed epinephrine (Epi-Pen, AviQ, or similar) to treat life-threatening allergies to food or stinging insects. Students are expected to carry their emergency medication (epinephrine) with them at all times. The health office staff is available to train students on self-administration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where will students quarantine or isolate when they are ill?

  • Students with a fever of 100.0°F or higher, who have been vomiting or experiencing diarrhea, and those who are evaluated by the nurse and suspected of having a communicable disease will be sent home to rest and recover.
  • The Health Office staff may require that a medical provider evaluate a student before returning to campus.
  • A physician’s note is required if a student is absent for four or more consecutive school days (including I-Days). When students return, they should have recovered sufficiently to be able to carry out all activities of daily living and attend all classes. Upon return, please have your student check in with the health office before attending their first class of the day.
  • Students who are unable to participate in classes for an entire day will be sent home for at least 24 hours to rest and recover.
  • Students may rest in the Health Office for short periods while the nurse assesses and/or evaluates their response to over-the-counter treatments, or they may wait for a parent or guardian to pick them up.
  • Students will not be allowed to rest or return to their rooms during the academic day.
  • Parents can not call their students in sick if they are on campus. The student must be evaluated in the Health Office.

Do all non-prescription medications need to be turned in to the Health Office?

  • For the health and safety of your student, all non-prescription medications will be recorded in a student’s health record to ensure that there are not any adverse reactions or contraindications to other medicines on our standing medication list, medications the student is taking, vitamins, herbal supplements, or other medicines that are delivered to the student on campus.
  • The student may keep over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements for self-administration.
  • We ask that these medications be limited to no more than 50 doses.

Do all prescription medications need to be turned in to the Health Office?

  • For the health and safety of your student, all prescription medications must be turned into the Health Office. These medications will be recorded in a student’s health record to ensure that there are no adverse reactions or contraindications to other medications on our standing medication list, medications the student is taking, vitamins, herbal supplements, or other medications delivered to the student on campus.
  • Oral contraceptive pills, short-term antibiotics, eye or ear drops, insulin, and emergency medications (epinephrine, albuterol, glucagon, diastat, etc.) may be kept by the student for self-administration. All other prescription medications will be administered in the health office.

What documentation needs to be submitted for prescription medications?

  • A prescription medication authorization form must be filled out and signed by the prescribing physician, a parent/guardian, and the student needs to be filled out at the beginning of every school year and with any medication or dose change.
  • Three empty pharmacy-labeled bottles or pill packets for each prescription.

Why is the Health Office asking for empty labeled prescription bottles?

  • Student medications are sent to the halls for evening and weekend doses. To help reduce the risk of medication errors, each day, the dose of medication is sent in an individual labeled bottle. Pharmacy labels with clear, accurate, and up-to-date dosing information are the best way to help keep the medications organized and correct.
  • The bottles and labels are free from the pharmacy if you ask for them and tell the pharmacy they are needed for a residential school.

What are pill packets?

  • Pill packets are individual packets of medications that are time specific for each individual. These are helpful when a student takes more than one medication at a dosing time.
  • Pill packets are available through mail-order pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, Amazon, and other pharmacies. Most pharmacies do not charge for this service beyond your copay.
  • Controlled substances are not available in pill packets.
  • Pill packets can contain non-prescription medications such as vitamins.

Who will give my student their medications?

  • The IMSA nursing staff, trained Residence Life or Student Life staff, or designated administrators.
  • Emergency medications (Albuterol, Epinephrine, Glucagon, Diazepine, Narcan, etc.) may be administered by any trained faculty or staff member on campus.

Where will my student get their medications?

  • The Health Office will administer medications in the Health Office Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Medications will be sent to the hall RC offices for nighttime and weekend administrations.

How will my student get refills?

  • Medication refills can be brought to campus by parents/guardians or filled at a local pharmacy.
  • Students may walk with a buddy to Walgreens at 1207 N. Randall Road (following Student/Parent Handbook guidelines). Transportation can be arranged if needed.
  • Transportation arrangements can be made for a pick-up at CVS inside Target at 1800 Orchard Gateway Blvd.
  • Please give the Health Office a 24-hour notification when refills need to be picked up.
  • The Health Office will give students a 7-day advance notice of the need for a refill.

What do I do if my student is prescribed a new medication?

  • Parents and/or students should notify the Health Office in writing or in person of any new prescription or non-prescription medications. Please use the email – nurse@imsa.edu. The nurse will give you further instructions.
  • A prescription medication authorization form must be completed and signed by the prescribing physician, a parent or guardian, and the student for all prescriptions.