Health Services at John Cabot University
On Campus Doctors
To support the wellness of students, staff and faculty members, JCU offers the services of an English-speaking campus doctor. The doctor is available for in-person consultations three times a week, an appointment can be booked by reaching out to [email protected].
This service starts during the first week of class and is free of charge to members of the JCU community. For medical needs outside of the doctor's office hours, an English-speaking on-call doctor is available.
Dr. Andrea Guerriero is a general practitioner who offers same-day 24/7 house calls to JCU students. He is available to give free consultations through phone call, text message, or Whatsapp. The doctor is able to connect you with private clinics for lab works and to specialists. Dr. Guerriero also offers acupuncture. He can be reached by:
Tel./Whatsapp: +39 320.40.65.709
Email: [email protected]
Website/App: MEDinACTION
If you use CISI, Allianz, or Cigna insurance, the doctor will bill your insurance directly and you will not need to make a payment. For all other insurance policies (Geo-Blue, HTH, etc.) coverage and billing will depend on your plan.
Students will need to visit off-campus facilities if additional services and/or medical tests are recommended. The Office of Health & Wellbeing is here to assist students in navigating healthcare options and understanding the required payment and billing procedures for each case.
There are some private clinics in Rome that offer medical care in English and generally accept direct billing.
IMPORTANT: When visiting a doctor, hospital, or clinic, please be sure to always have your passport and insurance information with you.
PRIVATE DOCTORS AND MEDICO DI BASE
In many cases, private doctors do not accept international payments from insurance providers and students will be asked to pay up front for the visit. Doctors will provide students with receipts or invoices in order to be reimbursed by the insurance provider.
Students who are Italian residents relying on the Italian healthcare system for coverage should register for a local medico di base in Rome. For information on how to do this, please visit the appropriate ASL Office for your local neighborhood in Rome, or stop by the Office of Health & Wellbeing for assistance.
HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY ROOMS
Students can choose between public and private hospitals. While public hospitals provide both emergency and non-emergency services, private ones generally do not have emergency rooms. The public hospital emergency room is called “Pronto Soccorso” and is generally good but in some cases immediate service cannot be provided and students may have to wait. In Italy, hospitals use the triage system to access injuries. This system involves assigning a priority color code to patients arriving at the Pronto Soccorso: red (very critical), yellow (moderate critical), green (not very critical), and white (not critical). Patients will be seen in order of the color code assigned (severity condition).
Non-emergency services provided by public hospitals are subject to a fee. Private hospitals normally have higher fees than public hospitals. Students are generally required to pay fees up front before leaving a private hospital. Furthermore, in order to benefit from the services offered by any private hospitals, students need to make arrangements with the hospital’s administration or with the doctor. Just be advised that the staff and the doctors in both public and private hospitals are not required to speak English, however some of them may.
See list of hospitals around the campus area.
MEDICATION
Medication mailed to Italy may be stopped at Customs. Students are therefore encouraged to bring enough of their prescription medication with them to last their entire stay in Rome (this is also true for contact lenses, and preferred over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines and vitamins).
While many types of medicine are available in Italy, it is important to note that American prescriptions are not always valid here. U.S. medications that may not be available include ADD/ ADHD medications and some forms of contraception.
Students are responsible for confirming that any medication they require can be acquired and/or refilled locally, prior to their arrival on campus. Specific questions about this can be directed to the Office of Health and Wellbeing.
If a prescription refill is needed while abroad, an appointment with an Italian doctor must be made (students are encouraged to bring a list of the generic names of their medicine).
Students should be aware that medication prices can vary. Payment is required at the time of purchase and can be made either in cash or by credit card. Reimbursement depends on the insurance provider.
PHARMACIES
Pharmacies are drug stores that can be easily found around the city. They can be identified by the big green cross outside. While some drugs are available over the counter, others require a prescription from the doctor. Furthermore, the pharmacist has some medical knowledge and s/he can advise patients about medicines, including how to take them, what reactions may occur and answering general questions.
Students should be advised that local pharmacies typically close between the hours of 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM and after 7:30 PM. They are typically closed on Saturday afternoon and all day on Sunday. By law, however, there must be one pharmacy open at all times (24 hours/7 days a week) and the pharmacies typically rotate the responsibility to be open after hours or on weekends. You can find the rotation list posted publicly on the door to each pharmacy.
See complete list of pharmacies in the Trastevere area.