Ithaca College and Cayuga Health System (CHS) have announced that they are partnering to bring the capabilities and resources of the major regional healthcare provider to directly support the services available to IC students. Beginning August 15, 2022, the college’s student health services will officially become part of the CHS network as Cayuga Health at Ithaca College.
“This partnership will allow Ithaca College to benefit from the strengths of a system that focuses on healthcare as its primary mission while we continue to focus on our core educational mission,” said Bonnie Prunty, vice president for student affairs and campus life.
Prunty says the benefits to students will include extended service hours, a streamlined referral process for specialist care, access to a wider range of services through CHS affiliates, and an integrated behavioral health model that includes two behavioral health consultants onsite and one remote behavioral health/collaborative care manager. The partnership also creates a platform for further collaborations in both health services and student learning experiences.
“We are excited to bring the expertise of our talented healthcare network to the IC campus,” said Martin Stallone, M.D., president and CEO of Cayuga Health. “The current staff of the college’s Hammond Health Center will become employees of CHS, and we are looking to further grow our relationship with Ithaca College.”
Cayuga Health played a major role in supporting Ithaca College’s reopening efforts following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and CHS currently has formal relationships with the college’s sports medicine, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs. The new partnership creates a platform for further collaborations in both health services and student learning experiences.
Mental health counseling will continue to be provided through the college’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which is not part of Cayuga Health.
Ithaca College students are already required to be covered by a health insurance plan, and students will now be billed through their insurance provider for services received as the college will no longer be subsidizing the entire cost of services as was done in the past. More information regarding services, insurance, and other changes to the current structure of student health delivery at Ithaca College can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) website.
Cayuga Health has about 2,500 employees and operates the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca and Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls as well as a multispecialty group, Cayuga Medical Associates, and a network of over 400 providers with Cayuga Health Partners. Cayuga Health provides advanced care in oncology, cardiology, neurology, surgery, and orthopedics. It has affiliations with major medical centers including the Rochester Heart Institute, the University of Rochester Medical Center, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.