Dear Incoming Student,
We look forward to welcoming you to the NEC student community and facilitating your musical and academic success. Your physical and emotional health is of the utmost importance and NEC’s Health and Counseling Service is committed to helping to provide you with tools you need to stay healthy.
NEC’s Health and Counseling Service offers a full range of health services on site by professional healthcare providers. Services include:
- Routine physical examinations and screening tests;
- Education that focuses on risk reduction and health promoting behaviors;
- Urgent visits for treatment of illness and injury;
- Routine visits for the management and treatment of chronic disease or ongoing health problems;
- Patient advocacy, which includes expedited referral and coordination of care with specialists and health care institutions, and ongoing assessment of satisfaction with that care;
- Psychiatry and counseling services provided by a team made up of licensed psychotherapists, counseling interns, and a psychiatrist.
We invite students with existing medical conditions to contact us upon arrival on campus to establish a relationship, and to facilitate effective and comprehensive management of symptoms while studying at NEC.
Please carefully review and complete the Student Health Report using the NEC Student Health Report Checklist that will provide step-by-step instructions for the successful completion of the form. You must return the completed health report to us by June 30, 2022. The confidential information that you provide will allow us to assist you with your health care needs. Incomplete or missing health reports will result in a $150 fine, and delays in registration.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires documentation of certain immunizations, or proof of immunity, to certain illnesses (see page 2 of the health report) for all full-time students enrolled in Massachusetts, regardless of age or degree status. As with all vaccinations, students may request an exemption for medical or religious reasons by following the steps outlined in this memo.
NEC additionally requires documentation of up to date COVID-19 vaccination (completion of the primary series plus one booster vaccination when eligible) for all students who are studying on campus (see page 3 of the health report). The COVID-19 vaccination requirement is critical for NEC to maintain an environment of in-person teaching and learning. Students who fail to submit this documentation, unless an exemption has been approved or there is a valid reason that it is not possible to receive the vaccine by the start of the Fall 2022 semester (e.g. a student living in a country where there is not access to a vaccine), may be prohibited from attending in-person courses and denied access to the Residence Hall and other NEC facilities, including classrooms and performance spaces. If you have questions regarding this requirement, please be in touch with us at 617-585-1284 or covid.questions@necmusic.edu.
Students will be assigned a COVID-19 Vaccination Release form in the Student Health Portal, which will authorize HCC staff to share records confirming COVID-19 vaccination status with relevant NEC staff as needed for COVID-19 related planning and protocols with regard to on-campus activities.
Students requesting a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement must complete a vaccine exemption form and submit it electronically through the NEC Student Health Portal on or before July 15, 2022. The vaccine exemption form is posted on the Health and Counseling website under FORMS. Medical exemption requests must be verified by the student’s primary care or specialty care provider. The Director of Health Services and relevant administrators in the Office of Student Services will review requests for exemption and may consult with other relevant administrators as necessary. Students will be notified whether or not the request is approved.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also requires that all students carry health insurance that covers hospitalization, surgical expenses, emergency care, and specialty care while enrolled as a student in Massachusetts. You will be receiving more information about Student Health Insurance options from the business office in July.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions by calling 617-585-1284. Best wishes for a healthy spring and summer and we will look forward to welcoming you in the fall.
Sincerely,
The Health & Counseling Center Staff