As the global pandemic of COVID-19 unfolds, there can be a wide range of thoughts, feelings and reactions. Below is some helpful information and resources to help you process these situations and keep yourself emotionally and physically healthy.

Common Reactions

Over the next weeks and months you may experience periods of:

• Anxiety, worry or panic
• Feeling of helplessness
• Social withdrawal
• Hyper-attentiveness to your health and body

Ways to Manage Fear & Anxiety

1. Get the facts. Stay informed with the latest health and campus information at the MSU Coronavirus website.
2. Keep things in perspective. Lessen the time you spend watching or listening to media coverage. Although you'll want to keep informed, remember to take a break from watching the news and focus on the things that are positive in your life and things you have control over.
3. Be mindful of your assumptions about others. Someone who has a cough or a fever does not necessarily have coronavirus. Self-awareness is important in not stigmatizing others in our community.
4. Stay healthy. Adopting healthy hygienic habits such as washing your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, frequently, and certainly after sneezing or before/after touching your face or a sick person. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Keep connected. Maintaining social networks can help maintain a sense of normalcy, and provide valuable outlets for sharing feelings and relieving stress.
6. Seek additional help. Individuals who feel an overwhelming worry or anxiety can seek additional professional mental health support.

Students

Students in crisis: Please call 9-1-1, go to your nearest emergency room, or call CAPS anytime day or night at 517-355-8270 and press "1" at the prompt to receive assistance from a crisis counselor over the phone.
CAPS counseling and psychiatry staff will work remotely to help meet the needs of MSU students.

Faculty & Staff -- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

EAP services are available to MSU faculty, staff, retirees, and graduate student employees, and their benefits eligible family members. The MSU Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is temporarily suspending in-person appointments. EAP is now exclusively offering Telehealth videoconferencing, which is an encrypted platform that is completely confidential and HIPAA compliant. Please contact the EAP if you would like to schedule an appointment.
Phones and emails are still being monitored on a regular basis. You'll need the Zoom platform downloaded to your devices in order to participate in Telehealth videoconferencing.
For information regarding Zoom, please visit https://msu.zoom.us/. If you need assistance with setting up a Zoom account, please contact the MSU IT Service Desk at 517-432-6200. 

Is the Olin Health Center on campus still open? 

Health Services are still available for students at Olin Health Center. The Health Center is operating a bit differently to protect students.

The medical clinic is open at Olin Health Center for students who are ill. Students must schedule an appointment before they arrive. Students can call (517) 353-4660 or, if they are an established patient, they can make an online request for an appointment through the MyMSUHealth patient portal.

The laboratory at Olin Health Center is also open. The Pharmacy is closed temporarily during the COVID-19 situation. MSU Pharmacy services are available at the Clinical Center location. 

As Olin Health Center medical services are considered essential, Olin will remain open during the summer and into the fall.

Current hours to call for an appointment are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 11:45 am and 12:45 to 4:50 pm.

Is there a way to access health care remotely? 

For students with the MSU Student Health Insurance Plan, you and your dependents now have access to online medical and behavioral health services anywhere in the United States.

That means you can access the following health providers online:

• A doctor for minor illnesses such as a cold, flu or sore throat when your primary care physician isn't available, or when staying home to seek care is recommended.
• A behavioral health clinician or psychiatrist to help work through different challenges such as anxiety, depression and grief (Behavioral health visits are available by appointment only.)

Follow the instructions on the Blue Cross Online Visits worksheet to get started.

A few reminders specific to international students and scholars:
You do not need to notify your primary care physician, MSU Student Health Services (Olin), when utilizing this program.
The flier states that normal fees will be charged. Under the MSU plan, students will not be charged anything for the online visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will need the info on your Blue Care Network insurance card to access the service.

Need to access your card information? Other questions? Contact Sarah Allen at BCN at SAllen2(at)bcbsm.com.