Health and Safety Abroad

Pre-Departure Medical History Screening
Resources for Pre-Departure Health Advising
Pre-Departure Medical Care
US State Department Registration
Insurance
Accessing Health Services/Medical Care Abroad
Food Safety
Alcohol and Drugs
Mental Health
AIDS and STIs
Students with Special Needs

Pre-Departure Medical History Screening

• RU Student Health Questionnaire

Students participating in study abroad need to complete this questionnaire as part of their post-acceptance study abroad bureaucracy.  We encourage students to be as candid as possible about reporting pre-existing medical conditions, allergies, dietary restrictions, prescription medications, and any  other health-related considerations, as this information allows the RU faculty director and/or the RU IEC to react appropriately and provide better emergency service should something happen overseas.

Resources for Pre-Departure Health Advising

• Background Information about Destination: Students should collect as much information about their study abroad destinations as possible.  Good places to start are the Country Background Pages and the Country Specific Pages from the US Department of State.  The Country Specific Pages will have information about particular health conditions that students should understand and address before departure.

• Vaccinations: Learn more information about required and suggested immunizations in the nations of the world from the CDC Traveler's Health website.  (There is also a website about recommended schedules and guidelines for immunizations that may be consulted.)

• Prescription Medications: You should bring enough prescription medication to cover the length of your residence abroad, if possible.  Always carry medications in the original pharmacy container with the prescription label attached.  Having documentation from your doctor attesting to your need for the medication is also a good thing, and you should consult your health care provider to get one before departure.  You might consider reviewing the Medic Alert website to determine if it would be helpful to wear a Medic Alert bracelet or other means to identify your medical condition(s) in case of emergency.

Pre-Departure Medical Care

• Travel Health Clinics: We suggest you access the CDC Travel Medicine Clinics website to locate such a clinic close to you.  (The Radford City Health Department website may be useful while you are on campus.  Other such sites in Virginia may be found on the Virginia Department of Health website.)  The Carillion system has a travel clinic page online with useful information as well.

• First Aid/CPR: First Aid knowledge will be very helpful, especially when traveling with a group.  The Greater New River Valley chapter of the American Red Cross has information about First Aid and CPR classes on a regular basis.

• General Information: The US Department of State maintains a website for US citizens traveling abroad: travel.state.gov. There is a section of the site devoted to health tips.

• Travel Health Kit: The CDC recommends that students put together a Travel Health Kit to address a variety of health ailments while overseas.

US State Department Registration

• https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ - The RU IEC registers each short-term, faculty-led program with the US Department of State, but students should feel free to register themselves in the system as individuals.   The student's contact information, emergency contacts, and itinerary is sent to those embassies and consulates with oversight over the regions where the student will be present during the program.

Insurance

RU requires that students carry an International Student ID Card (ISIC), which provides supplemental insurance coverage, including medical evacuation, repatriation, and medical care.  The IEC collects the student's health insurance data (carrier and identification number) for its files as well.  (This information may be submitted on the Student Health Questionnaire.)  For students who would like to have additional peace of mind, we recommend that you consider the following carriers of study abroad insurance for students:

• CISI

• CMI-Medex

• HTH

• Medex

• Rust Associates

Accessing Health Services/Medical Care Abroad

• Finding Health Care Providers Abroad - each US embassy and consulate provides US citizens with information about local health care providers who can assist them in the event of a medical emergency.  Go to the US Dept of State travel site and click to find the embassy or consulate nearest the desired destination and record that information on the RU emergency card provided during pre-departure orientation.

Food Safety

• Food and Water Safety: A good place to start is the SAFETI adaptation of the Peace Corps manual related to food and water preparation.  (More helpful hints may be accessed on the left-hand panel of this website.)
  

• The World Health Organization maintains a website on food safety and links students to international resources on the topic (and much else).
  

• The CDC has a great site on numerous topics related to food safety.

Alcohol and Drugs

 

The RU IEC wants each and every student to learn a lot and enjoy the study abroad experience.  Some of our study abroad destinations - most of them - allow students to drink at the age of 18, and almost all of our destinations have much stricter "drinking-and-driving" laws.  It would be a good idea to review the laws of the destination country - again, a great place to start would be the Country Background Pages and the Country Specific Pages from the US Department of State.  Students should also be aware that penalties for drug offenses overseas are severe - check out this page from the US Department of State for more information. 

• Recognizing the Signs of Substance Abuse: RU Student Affairs has a website designed to help students recognize the signs of dependency upon chemical substances.  There is another website that may help you determine that there is a problem - http://www.alcoholscreening.org/
  

• AA and NA: Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous both have many resources available to help students in need, including information about AA and NA meetings held around the world.
  

• RU Contact People: Students should feel free to contact the RU office for Substance Abuse Education for more assistance.

Mental Health

• The US Department of State's site - studentsabroad.state.gov - has a specific page related to mental health issues.

• 2005 International Educator article: "Mental Health and Study Abroad - Responding to the Concern"

AIDS and STDs

 

Students studying abroad need to make healthy decisions when it comes to sex.  These websites will be useful for students to identify available resources.

• CIEE has a detailed website with information related to AIDS/HIV.

• For more information about sexually transmitted diseases, please consult the CDC website devoted to this topic.

Students with Special Needs

• Mobility International USA - all students with physical challenges and learning disabilities should consult this site for a wealth of information about study abroad and international exchange for students with special needs
  

• Access Abroad - a site at the University of Minnesota with additional information, including a country index of programs with specific data about each site's suitability for students with certain challenges.