Health Services

In the case of a life threatening emergency, dial 911 from any phone, then call Campus Safety at 414.443.8500. Health Services should also be contacted at 414.443.8630. Many people in both of these departments are trained first responders.

Urgent care, but non-emergency concerns, should be directed first to Health Services during office hours. Many times the nurse or doctor can diagnose and/or prescribe methods or medications. If not, they will refer students to the appropriate next level of care.

Outside of Health Services office hours, students should contact the Resident Assistant (RA) on their floor or the Resident Counselor (RC) for their building for assistance in getting the care they need.

Our preferred Urgent Care Clinic is:
Plank Road After Hours Clinic
1155 North Mayfair Road
Wauwatosa, WI, 53226
Phone: 414.456.5990

Our preferred Emergency Room is:
Froedtert Hospital Emergency Department
Enter at 87th and Watertown Plank Road
Follow Signs to Emergency
414.805.6717

Wisconsin Lutheran College is committed to promoting good health to ensure our students' academic success. We have a health care practitioner on campus every weekday, and a professional counselor also is available. Many services can be accessed at the Student Health Center, from simple over-the-counter medications, to injury and illness assessments, physicals, travel screenings, lab work, TB tests, and most vaccinations. When you access care on campus, your services at WLC are covered 100% and you pay nothing.

While the Student Health Center is a great resource and can handle many health concerns, having access to more care is essential. Emergencies arise, and health concerns can escalate and require more urgent care. We encourage you to carefully look over your personal health insurance policy, be sure you are eligible for benefits, and ensure that there are providers near WLC that accept your insurance coverage. It is also helpful to understand your deductible levels and preauthorization requirements. Be sure that the student is aware of where and how to best use their insurance coverage and that they have an insurance card with them at all times and have provided a copy to the Student Health Center. 

Personal counseling at WLC is provided to students. We believe that God creates us all with our individual personalities and challenges. Our counselors work with campus ministry and use counseling theory to help make practical changes for students in distress, and always put God's love for the individual at the forefront of their work.

Emergency Services

If you or someone else is in imminent danger and/or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 and then WLC Campus Safety at 414.443.8500. You may also bring a student who is in an urgent state to Health Services during the week.

Individual Counseling

It is common for students talk with a counselor since being in college entails many changes and challenges. It is natural for people to want to talk with someone about these complex developmental issues or other concerns such as depression, anxiety, eating concerns, or self-esteem issues for example. Our primary personal counselor, Tanya Gerhard, MSW, LCSW, of Christian Life Counseling, is available to see students on campus by appointment. To make an appointment with Tanya, or to arrange other counseling services, contact Karen Fischer, Health Center Director, at 414.443.8549, or stop by her office in the Health Center. Individual counseling appointments are generally 45 minutes long. Counseling visits at the Health Center are free to students and completely confidential. No one outside Tanya and Karen will know that you have seen a counselor unless you choose to tell them.

Group Counseling

Our primary group counseling facilitator is DeAnn Frey, of Christian Life Counseling. Group Counseling is an excellent way to talk with peers about a topic of interest, explore differences in how individuals deal with challenges, and help build character in yourself and those in the group. Groups are hosted on campus for your convenience and available to all students.

Current Counseling Groups:

1. Boundaries in Dating
   Are you looking to achieve a healthy and satisfying dating relationship? Are you looking to learn how to establish good communication patterns and set helpful boundaries? God's word has a lot to say about healthy relationships and what we should look for in a marriage partner. Come join us whether you are single or currently in a relationship.
   
   
2. Building a Stronger You
   Would you like to improve your ability to manage your emotions, particularly in stressful situations?  Are you interested in building self-esteem? Do you want to recognize and avoid negative or detrimental behaviors? Would you like to enhance your communication abilities? Is learning to forgive yourself and others important to you? Work toward maximizing your God-given strength; let this group help! Group meets for nine sessions. Group facilitator is Trisha Frederick, M.S. from Christian Life Counseling.
   
   
3. Growing Godly Relationships
   Do you have relationships that test your ability to behave in a Godly manner?  Do you want to improve your ability to interact positively with challenging people? Would you like to improve your communication skills?  Would you like to improve your ability to defuse and reduce heated disagreements? Would you like to apply these skills to relationships that seem “unbalanced” in their “give and take?” Perhaps you have been challenged in dating relationships, or with roommates, friends, or family relationships.  Wants to build some God-pleasing strategies for relationships?  Attend this group. Group meets for 6 sessions. Group facilitator is Trisha Frederick, M.S. from Christian Life Counseling.

WLC retains the services of a psychiatrist for instances where students may need medication to help regulate a mental health issue. Referrals to this psychiatrist must come through Tanya Gerhard's office. When a student is referred to the psychiatrist, through Tanya, all those services are performed at no cost to the student. Medications prescribed, however, are the student's responsibility and may have a cost associated.

In-Bound Travel Health Screenings

A healthy campus is of vital importance to you and to us. The Health Center supports this through screenings and protocols meant to protect the student or faculty/staff member coming into this country to study or teach and for individuals who are returning from an extended trip abroad. This supports the health of the traveler and the entire WLC community.

For new students who have lived abroad during the three months prior to arriving on campus, the following are required:

• New Student Health Form
• Immunizations: Tetanus, MMR, Chicken pox
• Full Physical
• Tuberculosis Screening Questionnaire

Our medical staff provides follow up care based upon the responses and conditions of each individual. Vaccines, health protocols, lab work and other services are provided to follow through on any health concerns that arise following the screenings.

Out-Bound Travel Recommendations & Vaccinations

Some of the great experiences of college for students involves travel overseas. Our wellness initiatives support the continued health of these students and faculty or staff members when they travel. It is important to come see us as soon as you make plans to go abroad. Some travel protocols take up to six months to complete.

Full physicals are available with a physician at no cost* including a review of immunization records.

Our office can provide health clearance for visa requirements as well as typical vaccines such as Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Tdap - Tuberculosis, Diptheria & Pertussis, and Tetanus at no cost* and other specialty vaccines or protocols can be ordered at cost.

Through WLC's partnership with Scholastic Emergency Services (SES), students have access to a large network of resources including:

• Review of travel recommendations
• Automatic benefit with student health plan when 100+ miles from home
• Medical help: evacuation, compassionate visits, consultation, referral, admission & payment guarantee, prescription assistance
• Personal help: luggage, document assistance, legal referral, interpreter referral, repatriation

The SES website is very comprehensive in its content. It includes pre-travel specifics for each country and travel updates. The SES Reference number is 01-AA-SID-01031 and when prompted will give even more specifics.

*No cost items apply to students; faculty and staff may have an associated cost.

First Aid & Defibrillator Training

Our Health Nurse, Cindy Sanders, is a certified provider of first aid, CPR and AED training programs through the American Heart Association. Many individuals on campus including coaching staff, residence life staff, campus security, team leaders and building managers are certified as first responders on our campus through this training. If you have a group that would like this training, please contact Cindy directly.

Warrior Wellness Weeks

The Student Health Center organizes an annual wellness program benefiting the entire campus. This year, individuals begin a 4 week program of stretching, strengthening, easy office chair workouts and walking in March. Weekly entries are made based on healthy choices and exercise for chances to win prizes. Even if you complete just one day of exercise or make a healthy choice you win something each week! This event has always energized the campus in spring and brought a wave of energy back from break!

1. Christian Life Counseling - (Counseling Staff)
   
   
2. Common Topics of Concern
   • Anxiety
   • Depression
     
   • Gambling
   • Grief and Loss
   • Panic Attacks
   • Perfectionism
   • Relationship Violence
   • Sleeping Better
   • Stalking
   • Stress
   • Suicide
     
     
3. Relaxation Audio Downloads: Developed by Marla Craig and Lana Harder, Program Development Staff at the University of Texas. Download these audio tracks for your iPod or other audio player:
   • Deep Breathing
   • Muscle Relaxation
   • Cruise Imagery
   • Forest Imagery
     
     
4. ULifeline Network - WLC partners with this provider for up to date resources and assessments
   
   
5. Mental Health America of Wisconsin - Online Anonymous Screening Tool and local referral resources

Meningitis

Meningitis is a potentially fatal disease that can progress rapidly in just hours if untreated. Because this disease poses a particular threat to certain college students (i.e. freshmen students living in a dorm), it is important to become educated on the risks of the disease and the effectiveness of the vaccine created to prevent it.

For more information on meningitis, please read the information sheet.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening disease that damages the liver. A vaccination is available to help prevent the disease, but there may not be an effective cure for it once the infection is received.

To learn more about this serious disease and its vaccination, please read the information sheet.

Vaccination Procedures and Information

Visit the Student Health Center if you wish to receive a vaccination against Hepatitis B or Meningitis.

Disclaimer: WLC does not necessarily endorse everything on the following websites, but they are provided as a service to obtain furthur information on health topics.

Anger Management

• Greenville College Counseling Resources

Binge Drinking

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Common colds

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Depression/Grief

• National Institute of Mental Health

Dieting and Nutrition

• Nutrition.gov

Eating Disorders

• National Institute of Mental Health

Influenza

• National Center for Infectious Diseases

Meningitis

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Medline Plus
• Meningitis Foundation of America

Nutrition and Athletes

• Food and Nutrition Information Center
• Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Rape/Sexual Assault

• Focus on the Family

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Focus on the Family

Tobacco/drugs

• National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• Medline Plus

Health Services is happy to assist faculty and staff with day-to-day concerns. Please stop and see us if you have mild health concerns. We are also able to offer more extensive services, lab work and vaccinations and pass that on to you at our cost. Individuals will want to consider coming to Health Services for work related travel screenings and vaccinations. We are not able to bill third party insurance at this time.