The UTRGV Student Health Center is an essential resource for students on campus.
The Health Center has physician medical directors, “mid-level providers [and] nurse practitioners that come together and host a variety of services for students,” according to Rick Gray, director of Student Health Services.
The mission of Student Health is to provide high-quality health services and educational programs to all students, allowing them to devote their full attention to the university’s goal of education and self-discovery, according to its website.
Physical examinations, general checkups, prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, a full-service laboratory, immunizations and vaccines are just some of the services provided.
UT Health also provides accessible, confidential and cost-effective women’s health services, the website states.
Women’s health services include routine exams, birth control prescriptions and management, pregnancy testing, family planning and counseling referrals and women’s wellness appointments.
“About 40 to 45% of what we do is for women’s health services,” Gray said.
For a service fee of $30 per semester, students may visit the clinics as many times as they want and will never be charged for an office visit.
“There are some things we have to charge for,” Gray said. “We have a small pharmacy, so any medications that are ordered … students would have to pay for them. … We only charge what it costs us to get them. … The same with lab work. If you need lab work, we have a contract with our on-campus lab to provide services that [are] very cheap.”
Any changes that are billed are not collected and are instead credited to the students’ ASSIST account.
“We don’t collect any money in the clinic,” Gray said. “Charges are just posted on your ASSIST account. You can pay them off or wait to pay them off at the end of the semester. … It’s up to you.”
UT Health also offers students insurance, AcademicBlue Student Health, which is a statewide contract and is available at $250 a month.
RGV Student Health is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The on-campus clinics are located in Cortez Hall on the Texas Southmost College campus and at 613 N. Sugar Road in Edinburg.
Walk-in checkups are available, but students requesting elective procedures must schedule an appointment, which can be done by phone at 665-2511 for Edinburg and 882-3896 for Brownsville. Appointments can also be made by emailing healthservices@utrgv.edu.
“Just remember that it’s your clinic,” Gray said. “You’ve already paid for it. Call us if you’re not sure, if you have a question. That’s our job, to find answers. … Our job is to provide you the services you need to be successful at school.”
