Cold and flu season has arrived on campus. The University Health Center has seen an uptick in patients reporting a stuffy or runny nose, sore or scratchy throat, cough, fatigue, body chills and other cold and flu symptoms over the past few weeks.
Help us prevent the spread of these illnesses on campus by encouraging your student to do the following:
Get vaccinated
Flu shots are available for free at the University Health Center. Your student can make an appointment by calling 402.472.5000.
Have over-the-counter medications on hand
The University Health Center pharmacy offers many over-the-counter items at a discounted rate, including 24-hour doses of ibuprofen, acetaminophen and antacid for free. They also offer free cold care kits with cough drops, Kleenex, hand sanitizer and more at the pharmacy and in the medical clinic.
A limited selection of over-the-counter items are also available for purchase at residence hall C-Stores (Knoll, Abel, Cather and The Village) and the convenience store on the lower level of the Nebraska Union on City Campus.
Adjust eating habits
If students are sick, they should consider increasing their liquid intake. When at the dining halls, students should skip the greasy food options in favor of broth-based soups or noodle bowls, bananas and other fresh fruit, leafy green vegetables and oatmeal. If your student doesn’t have a meal plan and can’t afford any of these foods, check out the Huskers Helping Huskers Pantry+.
Take advantage of the Sick Meal program
If your student has a dining meal plan and is sick, they can send a representative (friend, roommate, RA or other individual) to the Dining Center cashier desk and obtain a Sick Meal Approval form. The representative will fill out the form and present the sick student’s NCard to the cashier for verification. The representative is then allowed to get a sick meal for the student.
Stay home if signs and symptoms of an infection are present
Students shouldn’t go to work, class or social activities if they’re vomiting, have diarrhea or are running a fever. If they have to miss class for this reason, they may need to let their professor know why. (Please note that the University Health Center cannot write notes for single acute illness, but students can fill out this form if requested by their professor.)
Disinfect the ‘hot zones’ at home
This includes any of the areas where there is heavy use or can contain a high concentration of bacteria, such as the kitchen, bathroom, door knobs and light switches, keyboard/laptop, TV remote, etc.
Know when to see a doctor for a concern
Sometimes, over-the-counter medications just won’t do the trick and the only way to get better is to talk to a doctor. Here are few scenarios when your students should make an appointment:
- They can’t keep anything down
- They have trouble breathing or chest pain
- They have a high fever (103F and above) or a low-grade fever that doesn’t get better in 48 hours
- It hurts to swallow
- Their cough persists beyond two weeks
- Their congestion or headache won’t go away
The University Health Center is the best on-campus resource for students who are ill. To make an appointment, your students should call 402.472.5000 or make a return appointment online via their patient portal if they are return patients. The fall semester hours for the pharmacy and medical clinic are:
Monday and Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (including home football game days)
When the health center is closed, students can speak to a nurse by calling 402.472.5000 and following the prompts. They can help your students find over-the-counter medications that will help them until we open on the next business day. They can also help your students find a nearby urgent care or emergency room if their symptoms are serious enough for immediate attention. There is no charge for speaking to the health center phone nurse.