December 14, 2021

Guidance for Student Healthcare, Winter Break, 2021-22

This updated guidance is effective from Thursday, December 16, 2021 through Friday, January 14, 2022, and provides guidance if you:

  • Have COVID symptoms;
  • Have been diagnosed with COVID;
  • Are concerned about a possible COVID exposure;
  • Need to talk with a crisis counselor or advocate; or
  • Have other healthcare needs.

While the focus of this guidance is students living on-campus over the break, this guidance also provides resources for other students in Portland.

COVID Self-monitoring

It is very important that all community members living on campus during the break conduct a daily symptom check for COVID symptoms. It is common for people infected with COVID-19 to be asymptomatic, or to have mild symptoms. If you have any COVID symptoms, you should consider yourself a positive case until proven otherwise.

COVID symptoms include:

  • Fever or chills (you should take your temperature every day)
  • Cough
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea or vomiting

If you have any COVID symptoms over the winter break–even if you think it’s “just a cold,” you should:

  • Immediately self-isolate in your room/home.
  • Unlike the regular academic year, do NOT use the COVID Self-Check and Reporting Form (SCARF) to report your symptoms in the Health Information Portal. Those forms will NOT be monitored over the winter break.
  • Instead, we recommend that you call the free after-hours nurseline at 1-877-617-9531. Their staff will tell you if you should get a medical assessment and testing. Alternatively, you could seek medical consultation from a different off-campus healthcare provider.

How to self-isolate

  • Stay in your room/home. When you must leave your room (e.g., to use the restroom), wear a face covering. Wear a face covering whenever you are around other people, even your roommate. If you have a single room on campus, you do not need to wear a face mask when you are alone in your room. Remember that disposable masks are not meant for extended use. Dispose of them if they get dirty, too moist from breathing, and/or after more than 8 hours of continuous use. Do not reuse. Whenever you are not using your mask, cover your cough. If you are using a cloth mask, make sure you are washing it regularly. This can be done by hand, in a sink with hot water and soap, if you do not have access to a laundry room or services.
  • Avoid using shared bathroom facilities at the same time as other students.
  • Wipe down surfaces before and after use with disinfectant wipes or spray.
  • Perform hand hygiene frequently. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Use tissues when coughing and wash hands afterwards.
  • For fever >100.4, you may use over-the-counter acetaminophen 325mg 2 tabs every 4 hrs or ibuprofen 200mg 2 tabs every 4 hrs.
  • Make sure that spaces that you share with others in your residence have the best possible airflow (e.g, open windows, weather permitting).
  • You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items. (Use disposable items and discard appropriately).
  • Wash laundry thoroughly.
  • Whenever you have the resources to do so, clean all “high-touch” surfaces, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables every day. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions.
  • Place all used disposable gloves, face masks, and other contaminated items in a lined container before disposing of them with other household waste. Clean your hands (with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after handling these items. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.

Accessing Healthcare

If you ever experience any of the following symptoms, seek emergency medical help:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion
  • Inability to wake or stay awake
  • Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

If you live on campus, contact Campus Safety 24/7 at 503-768-7777. Share you need emergency medical help and be sure to disclose that you have been self-isolating. They will call 911. If you live off-campus, call 911.

If you need a medical assessment over the break, resources include DispatchHealth (503-714-8987), a mobile urgent care program where health care providers will come to you (fees apply, many insurance programs accepted), as well as other Portland health care providers. DispatchHealth is an in-network provider for the student health insurance plan. See also our COVID FAQ page for other COVID medical assessment and testing resources.

What are the Food Options for Students Who Are Self-Isolating?

Meal delivery will not be available to students who are self-isolating from Thursday, December 16 through Friday, January 14, because campus dining facilities will be closed during that time. Students who need to self-isolate during that period should utilize the grocery delivery options and processes described below. Meal delivery from Bon Appetit to the rooms of self-isolating students will resume with brunch on Saturday, January 15.

Grocery

Delivery:

  • Please order at least 3-4 days of groceries in each order, to minimize the number of deliveries that campus staff must make.
  • Groceries ordered for delivery must be delivered to Campus Safety.
  • On the day of the delivery, students must call Campus Safety (503-768-7777) and inform them of the delivery window when the grocer is expected to deliver items to Campus Safety.
  • When your groceries arrive on campus, Campus Safety staff will call you. Be sure to always answer your phone; set up your voicemail; make sure there is room on your voicemail for messages; and monitor your voicemail.
  • A college staff member will deliver the groceries to the room of students living on-campus, typically within about one hour of the groceries arriving on campus. Staff will knock loudly on the room door, and leave the groceries just outside the door. Staff will leave a marker on top of one of your grocery bags, indicating about what time the groceries arrived on campus.

Safeway: go to: https://www.safeway.com/,and sign up for an account. Shop online, and schedule a delivery. NOTE: there is a delivery charge of $9.95 or if ordering for the first time enter the code FREE at checkout for free delivery. There is a minimum order of $30 or service fees may apply.

Fred Meyer: go to https://www.fredmeyer.com/, and sign up for an account. Shop online, choose “Delivery” for “within hours” for $9.95 or “Ship” for 1-3 days for free with a minimum purchase of $35.00.

Instacart: go to https://www.instacart.com/, and sign up for an account. Choose the store you would like to order from, shop online, and schedule a date/time for delivery. NOTE: fees start at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. Fees vary for one-hour deliveries, club store deliveries, and deliveries under $35.

Pick up:

Both the Safeway and Fred Meyers on Barbur Blvd have pick up options. If you have a friend that is willing to go pick up your groceries, this option may be faster and you could save on the delivery fee. NOTE: If you are in isolation or quarantine, you should NOT be picking up your orders. Stay in your room as much as possible.

Deliveries from restaurants

Students infected with COVID should not be leaving their rooms to receive food delivery, so they should use the no-contact grocery delivery system described above whenever possible.

For students self-isolating, but who have not been diagnosed with COVID:

If choosing to order prepared food from the delivery options below, you should NOT be in contact with the delivery driver. College staff will only deliver grocery orders, not prepared food from restaurants. So, find out before you place an order if the restaurant/delivery service has “no touch” or “no contact” option for delivery (and order from only those that do). If you have a friend who is willing to meet the driver, that’s okay, as long as you also don’t have direct contact with your friend. For example, have your friend leave the food outside the main door or your room door, then call/text you that it’s there.

Grubhub: https://www.grubhub.com/. Sign up for an account and type in the zip code (for LC it’s 97219). You can see restaurants that are open and delivered through Grubhub.

Postmates: https://postmates.com/. SImilar to above. Sign up for an account and search for restaurants that deliver in the 97219 zip code.

Pizza Delivery:

Dominos: https://www.dominos.com/en/

Bellagios: https://bellagiospizza.com/

Papa Johns: https://www.papajohns.com/

What if I Need Other Supplies While I am Self-Isolating?

For other supplies, please consider purchasing things you need BEFORE you may need them. Inventory may be limited and/or orders might be delayed for hard-to-find items.

Fred Meyer & Safeway: They will have some supplies to support isolation (cleaning supplies, tissues, fever-reducing medications, etc.). You can order them when you order groceries.

What do I do if I’m living on campus during the break, and I receive a positive COVID test?

If you receive a positive COVID test during the break, it is important that you call Campus Safety at 503-768-7777, and they will page a Wellness staff member to reach out to you and provide support.

What do I do if I’m exposed as a “close contact” of someone with COVID during the break? (a close contact is someone who has been within six feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period)

If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine. You should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days; get tested 5-7 days after your exposure; and wear a mask in indoor public spaces until you receive negative test results.

If you are not fully vaccinated, self-isolate and contact Campus Safety at 503-768-7777. They will arrange for a Wellness staff member to reach out to you to support the initiation of a quarantine period.

What if I experience a crisis and need to talk with a counselor over the break?

Anytime the Counseling Service is closed, students can access our Crisis Counseling Service (24/7) at 503-265-7804. Additional crisis resources (including resources for students of color, LGB, and Trans students) can be found here.

What if I need to talk with someone about issues related to gender-based, domestic, or sexual violence over the break?

Call to Safety operates a 24/7 support line: 503-235-5333. A guide to the services that Call to Safety offers can be found here. Students are also encouraged to review the resources on this webpage.