Medical Amnesty & Good Samaritan Policy

Lewis & Clark College considers the health and safety of community members to be a core priority and has therefore adopted the following Medical Amnesty & Good Samaritan Policy. This is meant to support students who take appropriate responsibility and care for the health and safety of themselves and others, even in circumstances that may involve violations of alcohol or drug policies. If it is found that the Medical Amnesty & Good Samaritan policy applies to an incident, students will not face disciplinary consequences for violating the Alcohol and Drugs Policy. However, they may be required to meet with either the Community Accountability & Conflict Education (CACE) office or the Health Promotion & Wellness (HPW) office to talk about what happened.

This policy applies to the following parties: 1) student(s) requesting medical assistance for oneself; 2) student(s) or a student organization requesting medical assistance for another person; 3) student(s) for whom medical assistance was provided. Seeking medical assistance is defined as a student or student organization contacting Campus Safety, College professional staff, Resident Advisors, or Emergency Medical Services (911) for support in a perceived medical emergency.

The College has adopted the language of a “perceived medical emergency,” for the purposes of this policy. This is defined as circumstances in which the behavior of an individual leads a person to believe that the individual is experiencing a medical situation that requires an immediate medical response.

If a student perceives or experiences a medical emergency on campus, it is important to call for medical assistance from Campus Safety, College professional staff, Resident Advisors, or Emergency Medical Services (911) as soon as possible. Students off campus should contact Emergency Medical Services (911) directly. After calling for help, the student is to remain present at the scene after they have sought assistance until permitted to depart by Emergency Medical Services or a College official.

After the emergency subsides, any student who received medical assistance, or initiated a call for help, while potentially violating the Alcohol or Drug Policy, will be sent a letter mandating a supportive meeting with either the Community Accountability & Conflict Education (CACE) office or the Health Promotion & Wellness (HPW) office. Neither conversation will result in findings of responsibility or assigned outcomes typical in the normal conduct process. However, failure to complete this required conversation by the set deadline will result in a hold being placed on the student’s account until the requirement is met.

Below is a brief description of how a typical conversation of this nature would proceed.

• Typical CACE conversation: a non-judgemental conversation about the circumstances around the incident and strategies or resources on or off campus that may be accessed to avoid future medical emergencies. Students may also choose to meet with CACE if they have questions or concerns about the process or how records are maintained.
• Typical HPW conversation: a non-judgemental conversation about the incident, motivations of substance use, discussion of desired behavior change, and tips and strategies for safer substance use to avoid medical emergencies in the future (if necessary).

Students who are present during a perceived medical emergency but are not evidently in violation of alcohol or drug policies will not be required to meet with any office under this policy. However, CACE will follow up with supportive resources and an invitation to confer with either office, if desired.

Documentation of referrals made under this policy will be maintained by CACE separate from a student’s official conduct record. As such, these records would not be shared during inquiries about student conduct records. For more specific information about how these records are maintained by CACE, please email CACE@lclark.edu.

Exceptions

• This policy is meant to apply to isolated incidents, and it may not be applied in cases of egregious or serial violations of College alcohol or drug policies. Examples of severe violations that would not be covered by the Good Samaritan Policy include felony-level possession of illicit substances, violations of other College Policies (i.e. Property Damage Policy, Violent, Abusive or Threatening Conduct Policy, etc.) in conjunction with an alcohol or drug policy violation, or any violation that causes severe harm to the College community.
• In cases where the College is concerned about a student’s ongoing health and safety, the process outlined in this policy may be deviated from to address those concerns. An example of this may include notifying Emergency Contacts and the College’s Welfare Intervention Network in circumstances where a student’s condition appears life-threatening or if additional information seems to indicate there is an ongoing substance use concern that may put the student’s or community’s well-being at risk.

 

Updated: August 2024