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Health Requirements
255-4364 or 255-6951

Requirements for all new patients and clients at Gannett

When you first use any of Gannett's medical or counseling services, we will give you a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes our policy regarding the ways in which we use and protect your personal health information. We want you to understand the ways in which we value and guard your confidentiality; and, like every other health care facility in the US, we are required to do so by federal law. We are also required to obtain your signed acknowledgment that you have seen this notice.

When you become a patient of Gannett, we will ask you to provide important information about your health. This "health history" will help us provide the best possible care for you, both now and should you need care in the future.

Requirements for new students

Your first interaction with Gannett may be around a series of health requirements that you must meet as an incoming student. These requirements exist for your protection and for the protection of your fellow students. We hope you will experience them as the beginning of our partnership in caring for your health. We strive to make them as clear and simple for you to meet as possible within public health guidelines.

Health history form

Prior to your enrollment as a student at Cornell, you will be required to submit a health history form to Gannett with important information about your health. This form is completely confidential (with no connection to any other part of Cornell). Please work with your health care provider to provide comprehensive and accurate information. Your health history form will help us provide the best possible care for you, should you need health services at any time during your Cornell experience.

Some of the information we ask for on the form is needed to meet the requirements of New York State law for anyone attending a college or university in the state. New York State requires that all students demonstrate compliance with immunization laws when they come to campus, and it is Gannett's responsibility to enforce these requirements.

We will work with you to make sure you meet the all the compliance requirements by the deadline.

Postmark deadlines for the 2008-09 Health History Form

All new students (Undergraduate, Transfer, Grad, Vet, Law, JGSM) must return a completed health history form, demonstrating compliance with immunization requirements by the following deadlines.  

        • for students entering in the fall: June 13, 2008
        • for fall transfer students: August 1, 2008
        • for students entering in the spring: December 19, 2008
        • for students accepted late: within four weeks of acceptance

Upon receipt of your form, Gannett Health Services will review it to make sure you have met all requirements. If you have not achieved full compliance with all requirements by August 15, 2008 (January 16 for spring entrants), you will not be registered and you will be charged a $100 late fee.

 Public health requirements


  1. New York State law requires proof that you have had measles/mumps/ rubella vaccination. You must have either the combination vaccine or individual vaccinations. For proof of immunization, only an official record (such as a school immunization record) or a statement signed by your health-care provider can be accepted. 

    Combination vaccine: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday.

        – OR –

    Individual vaccinations:
        • Measles: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday; or protective-antibody titer result; or physician-diagnosed history of disease.
        • Mumps: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday; or protective-antibody titer result; or physician-diagnosed history of disease. (See information about recent changes in mumps immunization requirement.)
        • Rubella: one dose of live vaccine; or protective-antibody titer result (NOTE: previous clinical diagnosis of Rubella is not acceptable proof).
          Students born before 1957 are exempt from the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine requirement.
  2. Cornell requires that you show proof (see above for the proof we need) that you have received a tetanus booster within the last ten years.  
  3. It is recommended that all students have a tuberculin skin test (PPD, Mantoux) within one year prior to admission to Cornell. This test is required of all international students, regardless of previous BCG vaccination status. International students (not including students from Canada) must be tested at Gannett Health Services after arrival at Cornell. If you have a history of a positive tuberculin test, you must submit results of a chest X-ray taken within one year of registration. You must submit the date of BCG vaccination or history of TB treatment. NOTE: It is recommended that spouses/domestic partners and children of international students also be screened for TB. Spouses, domestic partners, and children over 14 may be screened at Gannett Health Center. Parents of children under 14 years of age can arrange screening by: contacting a health care provider in the community (see the Yellow Pages in your phone book); or calling the Tompkins County Health Department (274-6604) for information about TB Test Clinics in the area.
  4. The U.S. Government Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 requires Gannett to inform all students of Gannett’s Notice of Privacy Practices and ask for their signature acknowledging that they have seen the Notice.
  5. New York State Public Health Law requires that all registered students receive information about meningococcal disease and vaccination and indicate that they have received the vaccine or choose not to at this time.

New York State meningococcal requirement

New York State requires all entering students to verify by their signature that they have received information about meningococcal disease and have made an informed decision about whether or not to receive immunization against meningococcal disease.

For information about meningococcal disease:

 

Contact Requirements Office 

Gannett: Level 3
Phone: 607 255-4364 or 255-6951 
Fax: 607 255-0269
E-mail: immunization@cornell.edu

 

Looking for the Health History Form?

All forms for newly-enrolled students, including the Health History Form, are available at newstudents.cornell.edu.

Special information for: