Hamilton College has contracted with Fonemed to provide students with after-hours and weekend access to registered nurses by telephone. Students incur no cost when using the service.
“This service will complement the excellent care already provided weekdays when the Johnson Health and Wellness Center is open and by our remarkable New York State-certified student EMTs,” said Vice President and Dean of Students Terry Martinez.
Fonemed has provided remote health care services for 20 years and has developed an award-winning triage protocol. According to the company, “Specially trained and licensed registered nurses evaluate patient symptoms, offer medical advice based on the gold-standard Schmitt Thompson protocols, and document encounters in secure systems to manage protected health information.”
When the Johnson Health and Wellness Center is closed, after hours and on weekends, Health Center Director Barb Fluty said students should call the Center at 315-859-4111 and press “1” to be connected to the Fonemed call center. Urgent calls will be handled immediately, but for most individuals, a message will be taken and a registered nurse will call back, typically within 30 minutes. The nurse will review the concerns, provide information, and if necessary, help direct students to off-campus medical resources. Fluty said Hamilton’s Health Center staff will receive Fonemed reports the next business day during the academic year and will contact students to see if they require follow-up care or additional support.
Students may still choose to self-refer to a local hospital or urgent care in the evenings and on weekends. Campus Safety will continue to facilitate transportation via ambulance or a rideshare service, depending on the urgency of the matter.
“We are committed to the well-being of our students,” Martinez said, “and we will continue assessing and exploring ways to ensure they have the resources to be healthy and productive at Hamilton.”
Hamilton’s Health Center is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The Center is closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. Phone hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. New York State-certified student EMTs are available 24 hours a day when the College is in session.
