Health & Counseling

College Nurse

The college nurse works 15 hours a week during the Academic Year.  Her office hours are posted in the Office of Student Life.  The nurse is available to provide: treatment, advice and preventive health services to help facilitate the students’ optimal physical, mental, emotional and social growth and development within the Franklin community.   She also supervises the health of the entire school body as well as serving as a liaison between the health care community and the school population.  The nurse makes referrals to other medical professionals when necessary.  For an additional fee, the Nurse is available to visit students who are sick as needed and may accompany students to the hospital.

College Counselor

The College Counselor, Corbin Moro, has provided psychological counseling to Franklin students on an as-needed basis for several years and began working in the Office of Student Life in 2005. She provides private and group counseling to students and conducts Residence Advisor training sessions. Corbin Moro has an M.A. in Clinical Psychology, a B.A. in psychology and a degree in hypnotherapy. She qualified to become a Swiss registered psychologist in 1994.

The College Counselor provides private and group counseling to students for any problems they may have during their stay at our Institution.  She can offer support to students during the academic school year and is available for consultation free of charge during her posted office hours.  The College offers 5 free counseling sessions to its students, after which their health insurance will be billed, or they can pay the bill privately if they prefer.  She can also provide referrals to other professionals in the Lugano area, including an English speaking psychiatrist.  Her office hours are posted within the Office of Student Life and she speaks English, Italian and French. As well as providing traditional clinical counseling, the Franklin College psychologist is a trained hypnotherapist and can offer hypnosis to those students who desire it. 

Health Services hours and contact information

Swiss Health Insurance

Swiss law requires that all students during their stay in Switzerland be fully covered by a Swiss medical aid plan. Franklin College has established a contract with SWICA, a medical insurance company, to cover all students’ medical needs. Students will receive a SWICA card approximately four weeks after arrival and should keep the card with them at all times. For more information regarding Swiss Law and health insurance coverage please click on the desired language: English, German, French, Italian.

The policy stipulates a 600 Swiss franc or 2,000 Swiss franc deductible per year depending on the student’s age. Once the deductible has been paid SWICA covers 90% of all medical expenses. The policy and the costs for full coverage can be reviewed in either US dollars or Swiss francs depending upon one's account with the College. Students should arrange any medical appointments through the Office of Student Life.

Students can apply for exemption from Swiss mandatory health insurance if they currently have valid health insurance coverage in their home country. Complete the Request Exemption forms and obtain the relevant information from your insurance company. Students from European Union (EU) countries with national health insurance coverage should use the form TI 6.1. Students from European Union (EU) countries with a private health insurance policy, who are not using their national health coverage should use the five page form TI 6.2. Students from countries other than the European Union should use the five page form TI 6.3. Send all original documents by regular mail to the Office of Student Life. In order to receive the exemption, your private health insurance company must certify coverage for the same services as the ones covered by Swiss mandatory health insurance. Please note that the Swiss authorities will only consider the official application when all the forms are completed and signed by your health insurance company. Photo copies of policies and/or faxes are not acceptable. For your convenience the following forms are provided in English: TI 6.1, TI 6.2 and TI 6.3.

Prescription Medication

Because prescriptions from countries other than Switzerland will not be filled by Swiss pharmacies, we recommend that students who take regular medication see a Swiss physician shortly after their arrival.  The College Nurse or College Counselor, in the case of a psychotropic medicine, will be happy to provide students with a local referral, and the student’s Swiss doctor will then be able to prescribe the regular medication or a close equivalent.  Students can bring the drug from home.  Some drugs, however, will only be permitted to be brought into the country in a limited supply and accompanied by a copy of the prescription.  Students bringing in medication may be asked to deposit it, under lock and key, in the health center office, where it can be distributed on a weekly or monthly basis.

Please address any specific questions directly to the College Nurse at nurse@fc.edu.  

Medical Emergencies

For minor medical emergencies students are advised to call the Resident Assistant on duty. The RA on duty can then assist the student and call additional support if necessary. For more serious medical emergencies students are advised to call the Swiss Emergency number 144 from any mobile or public phone.

Franklin Fitness Program

Student Life offers a wide array of fitness programs both on and off campus. Weekly programs have included power yoga, cardio body toning, self defense, and interpretive dance in addition to the College's sport clubs. Students can also receive discounts at local fitness centers. For more information students are encouraged to stop by the Office of Student Life.