For Parents
The Thielen Student Health Center provides students with high quality health care, focusing on keeping your student healthy and promoting a health campus community. Students receive care from board certified physicians, advanced registered nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, and various health promotion professionals. They receive the same high quality care you would expect from their health care providers at home.
Thielen Student Health Center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care – the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation.
Information Regarding Privacy of Information (HIPAA)
All patients must sign Authorization to Disclose Health Care Information before any protected health information can be released to anyone including parents / guardians. This form must be signed before a medical provider or nurse can discuss your student’s health status with you.
This form cannot legally be signed prior to an appointment with a medical provider or nurse. This form can only be signed at the time of appointment or for appointments that have occurred in the past.
Consent For Treatment of Minor Patients
All students under the age of 18 must have parental consent to obtain health care at Thielen Student Health Center. This may be accomplished by completing the consent for minors form below. You can mail this to the health center, or fax it to 515-296-6677. It is highly recommended to have this on file at the health center before your student becomes ill or is injured and needs care.
- Consent To Treat Minors (PDF)
Health Requirements at Iowa State University
Iowa State University has immunization requirements and recommendations for students entering the university. Holds will be placed on second semester registration if documentation is not provided.
Insurance and the Student Health Fee
TSHC accepts many / most insurance plans. For those students not already insured, and for details on the plan, visit the Student and Scholar Health Insurance Plan (SSHIP) website.
** Please remind your son/daughter to bring their insurance card with them to their first visit to the health center. We will copy the card and scan it into the electronic record. If the card holder is a parent / guardian - we will need the card holder’s full name and date of birth in order to process the claims.
Student Health Fee
All students enrolled in more than four credit hours pay the mandatory health fee each semester. The health fee enables the availability of high quality and accessible health care to the ISU student community by helping support the overall costs of the health center. The health fee is not health insurance.
Billing for Services
Charges for services provided at the TSHC can be billed to your health insurance carrier and pharmacy prescription insurance. Please provide a copy of the front and back of health and pharmacy insurance cards to the TSHC. Charges not paid for by insurance will be transferred to the student's u-bill.
What to Send to College With Your Students
Thielen Student Health Center understands how difficult it is to be away from your child when they leave for college. Some students can feel a little lost without a parent around to give advice or help dispense medications when they don’t feel well. There are some simple things that you can do to help. Students equipped with the items below can take care of many of the standard colds and coughs that most students have from time to time.
Students should be able to communicate how long they have been ill, what symptoms they have, if they have a fever, if they are vomiting, short of breath, or having other significant symptoms. This will help your student get the most rapid and appropriate treatment and care.
We suggest sending a few things along with them – we call this the “Portable Parent” kit:
- A thermometer (digital thermometers are readily available and easy to use!)
- Band-Aids of various sizes
- First Aid ointment, such as Polysporin, Neosporin etc…
- Ibuprofen (Motrin) and Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- An over the counter allergy product that contains an antihistamine
- An over the counter cold product that contains a decongestant
- A few capsules of an anti-diarrheal medication such as Imodium
- An over the counter cough syrup
- An ace wrap for muscle sprains/strains
- A list of medications being taken on a regular basis and the conditions the medications are treating
- A list of known or suspected allergies to medications, food, and environmental allergies
- A copy of any health insurance cards for plans that cover them
Over the counter medicines, thermometers and other items are available at many retail centers as well as the Thielen Student Health Center Pharmacy. For more information, visit the Pharmacy page.
ISU Parents Association
The Iowa State University Parents' Association is an auxiliary organization of the Dean of Students Office, governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of parents of Iowa State students. All parents of ISU students are automatically members of the Association. The Parents' Association serves as a link between you as parents and the university. Its mission is to serve and inform parents and to enhance the quality of student life at Iowa State University. For more information visit the Parents’ Association website.

