Is it even legal for a hospital to notify the school that a student checked in with alcohol poisoning? Doesn't that violate some kind of doctor patient confidentiality agreement?

It may have been ok in the past, but with the new HIPPA laws, I don't see how they could legally notify the school. But, if you went to student health service, then I imagine it's fair game.

Dee

By new Federal Regulations, they cannot let that record out to just anyone including just a college.

If anyone has been to a MDs office, they have to sign a waiver for conidentuality.

But, Law Enforcement works together, say, County, State and School Law Enforcement.

Dee, you are right, but this did not seem to be the case.

Not necessarily a hospital...but a school infirmary, yes, it can be legal, because students generally agree to certain behavior standards when they enroll, and there's often a lot of fine print in that agreement.

If a student is being transported from an on-campus location, then the school will know about it. Security and the dean of students/reslife office would know because it is in their 'area'. Ambulances don't just 'enter' a campus, at least as an RA, we had to call security and they called the fire/ambulance/police because we did not know the fire directions/addresses for the campus buildings.

Don't forget that parents will call reslife offices too and let them know. if that student has to miss class, they need a doctor's note and the dean's office is often alerted. Your medical privacy is really kind of a myth.

What about a hospital? Is it legal for a hospital to notify a school and provide the school with a patient's/student's medical information?

No. They can only give information to the people you list on the form you fill out. If you are a minor, they can give information to your parents. It might be fuzzy if it's a University hospital (like U of Mich Hospital or Vandy) and you attend that University.

That's what I figured but I think some hospitals like the local hospital near my school violate that. Maybe the laws vary by state. If a student, pledge/fraternity memger goes to the hospital the school always knows about it. They even have a breakdown of students admitted for alcohol. I have a probem with releasing the info because then the school can bust a greek organization.

I would challenge the assertion that you have a "pretty good chance killing yourself" from alcohol at a party. ITs still a lightning striking sort of thing. But I understand your point. If alcohol wee eliminated as a factor, those people would not have died.

I just don't know where that logic leads us. Do we ban alcohol from a college setting because 3 or 4 people will die from alcohol poisoning this year?

I dunno I used to be very much on the side of the 'it's not the greek system's fault' but now I'm changing my mind. I think schools should know when students are going to the hospital for alcohol related problems. I think that in order for the university/college to operate, and create a living community, these issues need to be known and addressed. And yes, I think that schools where Greeks/ Greek run events are the major cause of alcohol poisoning or severe drunkeness that we should be in trouble. No where, as pointed out previously, do our organizations require alcohol to function. Either we be more responsible, or we face the consequences.

I really do think that alcohol poisoning is totally preventable. And I think we need to stop bitching about it, or promoting programs that don't really work and just deal with the problems. If that means giving amnesty to those to help a friend, great, but bitching and moaning about how the hosptials are wrong, or the university/college was wrong is getting old. Yea there are cases where we are treated unfairly, but we keep giving them reason after reason.

/soapbox

Kids in college need the freedom to make their choices. Sometimes they make dumbass choices that can end up killing them. But guess what? If you tell a 19 year old kid they can't drink, do you think that'll stop them?

The best thing that colleges can do is to help create a safe environment where drinking can occur. Yes, that probably means that there will be casualties. However, making it 'against the rules' as opposed to trying to limit and control risk behavior is just like closing your eyes and hoping the problem goes away.

Since drinking at 19 is against the law, I disagree with "creating a safe environment where drinking can occur."

Though I do agree with amensty, shuttles to events, etc.




If you tell a 19 year old kid they can't drink, do you think that'll stop them?

The best thing that colleges can do is to help create a safe environment where drinking can occur. Yes, that probably means that there will be casualties. However, making it 'against the rules' as opposed to trying to limit and control risk behavior is just like closing your eyes and hoping the problem goes away.

I still believe that the drinking age should be 18.

Given that it probably won't happen, something struck me while reading KTSnakes post above. Right up to that second, I would have agreed with him.

However, what that says is that we're overlooking a lot of young people a making a choice (and giving tacit encouragement?) to break the law.

Ok, so we all drive a little to fast and break the law once in a while -- does that make it right? What kind of message does it send? How far does it go? What law is it OK to break? Where do we draw the line?

Or, should we not have a minimum drinking age at all?

Would you still say this if you got a call from the hospital telling you that your kid was just brought in and on a ventilator, or perhaps dead?

Some schools are made aware of students being sent to the hospital for intoxication
 

If a student, or his friends, calls the University EMS (a lot of schools have them) in order to be transported either to a hospital or infirmary, then a dean of student affairs is usually notified. Depending on the school's policy and the specific circumstances of the intoxication, the consequences might range from a consultation with that dean to a required class on responsible drinking. It's been my experience that the school's primary concern is the health of the student, not punishing underage kids for drinking.

That's why some colleges have the policy where you can call EMS or the infirmary regarding a drunk student without the fear of punishment. 15 drunk frat boys might be able to "check on" someone who's passed out, but if that person is brought in for observation overnight by medical professionals--it's a lot more likely that the person will be okay, even if he just needed to "sleep it off."

Better safe than sorry.