For Parents and Families

In case of emergency, students should call 911 from their cell phone or 9-911 from a campus phone.

Williams offers all registered students access to a full range of medical  and psychological care, as well as 24/7 emergency response.

  • There are no charges for clinic or counseling visits at the Health Center
  • Most laboratory tests and diagnostic studies, prescription drugs and consultation or treatment outside the Health Center are the student’s financial responsibility as are certain vaccines required for students traveling internationally. See more about student insurance requirements below.

Learn more about all of our services and encourage your student to call or stop by The Health Center or our center for Integrative Wellbeing Services in Pond House with any question or concern. Once they learn how easy and comfortable it is to access our services, students are empowered to take charge of their own health and wellbeing as young adults.

  • In case of emergency, students should call 911 from their cell phone or 9-911 from a campus phone. Local ambulance service will transport your student to Berkshire Medical Center's emergency department, 10 minutes from campus. Depending on a student's particular condition, transportation may be arranged to comprehensive medical centers in nearby Pittsfield, MA or Bennington, VT.

    • There are no charges for clinic visits a the Health Center. Students can make appointments to see a nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, or local physician Monday through Friday of each week we are in session. Appointments are usually accommodated within 24-48 hours. Our RN staff is available on  Saturday's to triage phone calls to the Health center, and a local physician is always on call.
    • Lab tests, physical and gynecological exams, and an orthopedic clinic are also available on campus by appointment.
    • There are no charges for clinic visits at our center for Integrative Wellbeing Services in Pond House.
    • As you may remember from your own experience, the years between 18 and 22 are transformative-and sometimes challenging. We're here to help your students meet those challenges as they mature into full adulthood.
    • Williams provides comprehensive support to students in addressing psychological issues and making changes to enhance personal growth, capacity for healthy relationships, and academic engagement.
    • Our staff includes psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors and a psychiatrist, and we work closely with our colleagues in Medical Services.
    • If your own student's hesitant about reaching out to us, let them know that more than half of all students use our services at least once while at Williams.
    • We encourage you and your student to explore the full range of Integrative Wellbeing Services
  • Medical confidentiality, protected by Federal law, makes entire sense when we parent-age people think of ourselves in relation to our own parents (with whom many of us haven't shared our own personal health details for decades). That said, it's an abrupt transition from being able to call our pediatricians about our 17-year-olds...to our 18-year-olds deciding what they do (and don't ) want to share with us. That's why we strongly suggest that you have a conversation with your own student about how they intend to communicate with you around health issues while at college.

    Williams provides health services to your student (just as your professional caregivers provide them to you) with the promise of full confidentiality. Indeed, except in cases of clear emergency, we're legally prohibited from sharing any information about our confidential conversations with your student unless they give us permission to do so. Within these guidelines, we're delighted to partner with you in ensuring your student a healthy Williams experience. You can call us at any time with questions about our general range of services for all students. You can even call to share concerns and questions about your own student-understanding that we can't share specific personal information back to you unless your student tells us we can. Your student is free to invite you into a conversation with our health staff at any point.

    A word on health care proxies
    It's a good idea for students and indeed all individuals over age 18 to appoint a health care proxy-someone to express their wishes and make health care decisions for them if they are unable to speak for themselves due to incapacitation. That proxy document, however, would not be held by-or activated at-Williams because the college doesn't treat patients who are incapacitated, beyond ensuring their transfer to an emergency department. Health care proxies get entered into a patient's record through one of three ways: the patient provides it to the provider/hospital, the hospital asks the patient to fill out a new form, or a friend or family member of the patient supplies it to the hospital after being notified that the patient is incapacitated. Most healthcare proxies are easy to establish and honored across state lines. This downloadable Massachusetts form, for example, can be completed without legal counsel.

  • Massachusetts law requires all college students to have health insurance. Williams offers health insurance with an annual premium. If you determine that your own insurance plan provides comparable coverage, you must waive participation in Williams' insurance plan before August 1st to avoid that charge. If you need Williams' health insurance coverage, please enroll before August 1st. More information can be found here.

  • All medical history and immunization information for new students must be completed and received by the Williams Student Health Center by July 1st, in order for your student to obtain their dorm room key and participate in any EphVentures program during First Days orientation. Your student will need to see a doctor visit to complete and submit these required documents, so it pays to plan early! Here is the link address to our patient portal: