November 2021
Upcoming Events

Check out the upcoming events at University Health Services (UHS)!

Spotlight:
11/10 - Health Tip Live: Let's Connect! Cross-Cultural Connections from 6:30 - 7:30 pm

11/16 - Bears in the Kitchen Virtual Cook-Along. Register to attend.

11/19 - Free HIV Testing from 12-3 pm, in Health Promotion (2nd floor, UHS)
Flu Shot Clinics - New Dates and Location!

Get the flu shot, not the flu!

Drop-in clinics will be available to UC Berkeley students on November 3, 4, 5, 17, 18, 19 at the Tang Center Section Club (Near Durant Ave. Entrance) from 9 am - 11:30 am and 1 pm - 4 pm.

FREE for students with SHIP and $40 for non-SHIP students.
Check your HOF Balance!

This year, HOF has provided eligible students $350 to be used at UHS by May 13, 2022. Your Cal 1 Card debit account has already been loaded with the credit if you are an eligible student. Remember to check your Health Opportunity Fund balance online through the Cal 1 Card office website.

Students must notify UHS staff BEFORE PAYING that they wish to use HOF.
Upcoming Closure Dates

This month, UHS will be closed for two Academic and Administrative Holidays. We will be closed on Thursday, November 11 for Veterans Day. We will also be closed November 25-28 for Thanksgiving. For care when UHS is closed, please visit the After Hours Assistance webpage.
UC Flu Vaccine Mandate - Requires documentation by Friday, Nov 19, 2021
To support the health and well-being of our campus and the community, a UC wide executive order was issued on Friday, October 8, strongly recommending all students, faculty, and staff to receive an influenza immunization (flu shot) against influenza, and requiring documentation of immunization or declination by Friday, November 19, 2021. The flu vaccine needs to be for the current flu season (administered August 1, 2021 or later).

To comply students need to either:

  • Get a flu shot on campus
  • Get a flu shot elsewhere in the community (pharmacies, flu clinics, Kaiser, etc) and add their immunization information to the Medical Clearances section in eTang.
  • Decline getting a flu vaccine, by reading and acknowledging the influenza vaccination information web page and submitting a declination at portal.berkeley.edu/attestations/new.

Students who do not get an influenza vaccine or who have not met the requirement by the due date will be required to wear masks or face coverings at UC locations through the end of the influenza season (usually through April) even if COVID-19 masking requirements are loosened.

For more information about the mandate and upcoming flu vaccine clinics, please visit uhs.berkeley.edu/flushots.

UHS Mental Health Partner: humanest
UHS Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has partnered with humanest to provide UC Berkeley students with additional mental health support. Through humanest, students can access one-on-one counseling, a community created for UC Berkeley students, and blog posts on mental health topics.

  • Counseling - Students can access humanest for free counseling appointments. Counselors are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and appointments can be booked online. Book a humanest counseling visit >
  • Community - Join the humanest online community for UC Berkeley students. Whatever you're going through, you don't have to face it alone. Ask questions, get professional guidance, support, and connect with others like you. Join the community >
  • Learn tips - Read the humanest blog to learn tips and evidence-based techniques to improve your mental health. Read the blog >
SHIP Waiver for Spring 2022 Opens on December 1

The SHIP waiver period for spring 2022 will open on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 and close on January 1, 2022. The late waiver period is January 2, 2022 to January 15, 2022 and will be subject to a late fee of $75. Absolutely no waiver applications will be accepted after January 15, 2022.

If you submitted a waiver for fall 2021, you do not need to submit a new waiver for spring.
COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
With the COVID-19 vaccine so widely available, UHS will not be providing COVID vaccine boosters broadly to the campus community so that we can continue to focus on providing health services to our student population. You can find booster shots at the local CVS at 2300 Shattuck Avenue or 2655 Telegraph Avenue or find a location through the MyTurn website.

Who currently qualifies for a booster shot?
The following guidelines have been set by the ACIP and CDC:

  • People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series
  • People aged 50 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series
  • People 18 to 49 who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to certain underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risk
  • People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series

For additional information, please visit our COVID vaccines webpage.
Holiday Travel and COVID-19
If you plan to travel for the upcoming Nov 25 - Nov 26 academic and administrative holiday, we recommend that you get a surveillance test approximately three days before your trip. 

If testing documentation for travel purposes is needed, we recommend that you get this testing/documentation done outside of UHS at a place that specializes in travel testing. Please check the UHS testing before travel webpage, which includes links to outside resources for travel-related COVID testing.

For the week of November 22, UHS will offer testing on Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Recreational Sports Facility site. The testing site will be closed from Thursday, November 25 through Sunday, November 28. Please make your testing appointments via eTang as usual.

If you do plan to travel, please review and follow the public health CDC guidelines for travelers.

When you return: If you are fully vaccinated and feel any symptoms when you return, or if you were in close contact with someone who had COVID-19, please get tested at UHS as soon as possible upon arrival, and self-sequester until you receive negative test results.
Urgent Care Options (When UHS Urgent Care is Closed)

You may need medical care when UHS Urgent Care is unavailable. Here are a few local resources available to you. All centers listed are in-network providers, meaning that SHIP will reimburse a portion of the fees incurred after the co-pay.

Hospital Emergency Rooms ($250 co-pay with SHIP - waived if admitted)
  • Alta Bates Emergency Department, 2450 Ashby Ave (@ Colby Street) Berkeley, (510) 204-4444. Open 24 hours. Note: Fees may be higher than Urgent Care Centers listed below.
  • Summit Hospital Emergency Department, 350 Hawthorne Ave (34th & Webster) Oakland, (510) 869-6600. Open 24 hours

Non-Emergency Urgent Care Centers ($50 co-pay with SHIP)
  • Carbon Health (previously called Direct Urgent Care), 2920 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley. Phone: (510) 686-3621. Mon-Sun, 10am-8pm.
  • John Muir Urgent Care, 3100 San Pablo Avenue, Ste. 300, Berkeley. Phone: (510) 985-5000. M-F 8 am-8 pm, Sat & Sun 8 am-2 pm, and Holidays 9 am-3 pm.
  • Direct Urgent Care, 401 Grand Avenue, Oakland. Phone: (510) 844-4097 or (800) 756-4206 or text: (510) 560-7188. Mon-Sun, 8am-6pm

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