Preparing to Leave for College, Do this One thing First
The day has come or at least it is coming soon. You have been accepted to one of the colleges you have applied to and your travel date is just around the corner or you have been in school for a few years and will shortly be leaving for the last year or two of school. For most of the readers of this blog, you have reached the age of majority and are considered adults. While you may yet be on your parents health insurance plan, decisions about your health are considered your own and you may be the one making decisions for your own care. That sounds really cool and is part of the road to adulthood. Congratulations!!
There is a small issue.
There may be some situations where important medical decisions need to be made and you are not physically able to make them. You may be a few hundred or thousands of miles from home and in a different state with different rules as to the age of majority and therefore the release of medical information.
Ouch (literally!). What are you to do?
Action Time.
This isn’t a pleasant thought but an ounce of preparation can be worth a pound of cure. Now, don’t think this is legal advice, cause I can’t give that. What I do know is that due to a law abbreviated as HIPPA, if a student goes into the campus health clinic, you most likely will be asked to sign a form so the medical office can release medical information to anyone requesting it, including mom or dad.
Now, to keep your parents from major grief and lots of yelling over the phone at someone who really can’t do anything (they can hang up!), you can be a thoughtful kid. Contact your College Health Clinic and ask them to email you a medical release form. This may be specific to that school or a more general form that can be used anywhere. Read the thing and if appropriate, sign it and have an adult or notary witness you doing so. Make a copy and give it to the responsible adult.
An alternative is to go to a site, www.caringinfo.org. This site provides state specific Advanced Directive forms that you can print and complete. It is a heavy-duty legal document and therefore, really serious stuff, so be sure to treat it that way. After discussing it with your parents or guardian, take the appropriate actions and measures to deal with the topic. Once done, you shouldn’t have to worry about it. I don’t like being heavy but, well, that is the world we live in. If you have any thoughts, I would look forward to hearing from you.
Want to learn more? Come over to our website specifically designed for college preparation.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
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