Student Health recognizes that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students have health concerns that are the same as other students. However, other issues may be different and require a greater understanding or specific information or programs.
This section does not cover all services available to you as a UCSB student. Please browse the website, for a more complete picture. However, this section does address some areas that may be of specific interest or concern.
Medical Care:
We have an outpatient medical facility where you can see a doctor or nurse practitioner about any health issue, from acne and headaches to sexually transmitted infections and HIV-related illnesses. Management of gynecological care is available for women of all sexual orientations. Health educators and nutritionists help students with stress-related health problems, nutrition concerns, and sexuality issues.
Transgender Students:
The primary care clinics provide general medical care, including women's health care, for the prevention and treatment of illness and injury. SH clinicians can also refer clients to other providers such as physician specialists and physical therapists. Students considering hormonal treatment and reassignment surgery are generally referred to specialists. In some instances, our clinicians may be able to refill hormone prescriptions received from another provider.
Student Health Insurance:
The University requires all students to have major medical insurance, and SH provides the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to meet that requirement. SHIP benefits include coverage for procedures or treatments to change characteristics of the body to those of the opposite sex, according to plan guidelines and necessity criteria. See: Student Health Insurance Plan for more information about coverage.
About the SH Staff:
Our providers have chosen to work at SH because they want to work with students. In addition to their respective degrees, they have chosen to specialize in college health.
We believe that the best way to serve a diverse community is to have that diversity reflected in our staff. We have women and men from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, with a wide variety of lifestyles. Included in this diversity are openly lesbian, gay or bisexual staff members. We encourage you to find service providers with whom you are comfortable and to develop positive working relationships with them.
For access to services, you may make an appointment online or by calling (805) 893-3371
About Confidentiality:
Your appointments with clinicians, counselors, and other SH staff are confidential. By law, your parents, friends, professors and other school officials do not have access to your SH records.
Medical Records:
The only way that someone may know about your appointment is if you tell her/him, you give us written permission to release information, or we are required by law.
Counseling Records:
Like medical records, these are protected by law. In addition, counseling records are kept separately from medical records.
Suggestions/ Complaints:
We welcome your input on how we can improve our services related to lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, queer, and questioning students. See Contact Info for numbers at SH.
Visit the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity website
For more information call (805) 893-3371