Dear Students,

In preparation for the winter break holiday, we encourage you to take note of COVID-19 testing availability, Health and Wellness care options, and to refill prescriptions ahead of our Health Services pharmacy closure. During the break, Brown Health & Wellness will be functioning with altered availability by offering an array of remote care options as students depart campus, and supplementary in-person care for those remaining local.

Testing Availability

When considering pre departure plans, it is essential that students allow for 48 hrs turnaround time for the return of asymptomatic test results through the Verily testing system. This service is free to Brown students and the usual response time of 24-48 hrs is subject to testing timelines and demand as they are processed at the Broad Institute with a resulting time that is beyond our control. Testing will be available at Alumnae Hall on Monday, 12/20 through noon on Thursday, 12/23, and from Monday, 12/27 through noon on Thursday, 12/30. View the Healthy Brown website for the comprehensive testing schedule: https://healthy.brown.edu/testing-tracing/testing-sites-and-hours.

There is a back-up service available which provides immediate rapid PCR testing within one hour. This service is open to anyone in the local area and designed to provide results in light of upcoming international travel goals. You can learn more here: https://www.doctorstestcenters.com/flyri.

All asymptomatic testing locations will resume standard hours on Monday, January 3.

Care Options

CAPS recommends students schedule ongoing counseling sessions with a local therapist if spending time away from Brown to ensure they are provided with timely, high-quality care in their area. CAPS will be providing care options remotely 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; students can access remote counseling services through CAPS On-Demand by calling 401-863-3476 or through the HealthiestYou app.

During the days leading up to break, Health Services will be functioning with shortened hours - please check the schedule on our website: https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/. Over break, Health Services will be offering care options 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the holidays. Students will have access to remote nursing advice by calling 401-363-1330 or telehealth appointments via the HealthiestYou app. COVID support services for students that have been clinically assigned to isolate will continue throughout the break.

The Health Services Annex at Minden Hall (121 Waterman Street) has limited walk-in availability for students with symptoms of COVID or the Flu:

• Thursday, 12/23: 8:30 to 11:00 AM
• Monday, 12/27: 9:00 to 11:30 AM
• Tuesday & Wednesday, 12/28-29: 11 AM to 1:30 PM
• Thursday, 12/30: 8:30 to 11:00 AM

All requests for emergency medical services should be made by calling the Brown emergency number at 401-863-4111. Brown EMS will continue to provide Covid support for students in isolation.

Brown has partnered with HealthiestYou, a robust teleclinical service which offers students remote consultation with clinicians and mental health providers licensed throughout the country. Care provided by HealthiestYou providers is unlimited and there is no additional cost to students. Students can access telehealth and telemental health care via the HealthiestYou app 24/7 from any location by downloading the HealthiestYou app and creating an account today: https://www.healthiestyou.com/. Please reach out to HealthiestYou at 866.703.1259 for assistance with setting up an account.

BWell’s Sexual Assault Response Line will continue to operate 24-hour, confidential telephone line for crisis response in an incident of sexual or interpersonal violence. Any Brown student who needs immediate help accessing resources in response to an incident of sexual violence or interpersonal harm can call the response line at 401-863-6000.

Prescriptions

Students are encouraged to request any necessary prescription refills prior to beginning winter holiday - we recommend you do so today. The Brown University pharmacy will close on Wednesday, December 22 at 5:00 PM and reopen on Tuesday, January 4 at 8:30 AM. Please plan accordingly. Learn more about transferring prescriptions and locations for nearby pharmacies at: https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/pharmacy

COVID Booster Requirement

In continuing to safeguard the public health of the Brown community, the University is requiring all students to receive a COVID-19 booster shot no later than January 26, 2022 (the first day of classes of the spring semester) or within thirty (30) days of becoming eligible. You are eligible for a booster six months after your initial Pfizer or Moderna series or two months after your initial J&J vaccine. Pursuant to CDC guidance, those who have been fully vaccinated outside of the U.S. with a WHO-EUL approved vaccine are eligible for a single booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least six (6) months after full vaccination. Most members of the Brown community are eligible now. Booster shots are widely available and remain free of charge, and you can find available vaccines at vaccines.gov. There are also opportunities to receive the booster in Rhode Island and can be found at vaccinateri.org. More information on this requirement is available here: https://healthy.brown.edu/updates/brown-community-covid-19-booster-vaccination-and-spring-semester-pre-return-testing

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season,

Vanessa Britto, M.D., M.Sc., FACP
Associate Vice President for Campus Life
Executive Director of Health and Wellness