Early Bird

Your student tested positive for COVID-19. What now?

MSU Denver offers holistic support for students to help them get healthy and stay in school.

September 15, 2020

Students who test positive for COVID-19 – whether taking classes in person or online – can get medical and personal support at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

If one of your students discloses a positive diagnosis or if they suspect they might be infected, please have them call the Health Center at Auraria at 303-615-9999. The Health Center team will provide expert guidance on medical care and next steps to keep the student and those around them safe. The team can also enact any necessary action with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, such as contact tracing. Please also follow up with a call to ensure that the student has been in touch.    

While attending to medical needs must take priority, our approach to supporting students who test positive for COVID-19 doesn’t end there. Students may face a variety of other challenges or have pressing questions related to housing, employment, academics, finances and mental health.  

The case managers at the Student Care Center are here to help.

Following a diagnosis, a case manager can speak with the student about their unique situation, help them explore options and ultimately assist with crafting a personal plan to address their needs and any public-health needs. The case managers are skilled at understanding and explaining academic policies, referring to relevant resources (on and off campus) and providing compassionate support when students are facing some of life’s most difficult hurdles – including COVID-19. 

Know that our clinicians at the Health Center at Auraria will make a warm handoff to the Student Care Center after a positive diagnosis, but students can always connect directly to avail themselves of case-management support (COVID-19 or otherwise). Likewise, faculty and staff members can refer students to the Student Care Center at any point simply by filing a CARE referral. Once the Student Care Center staff receives a referral, the next step is typically to contact the individual who made the referral. Staff members prefer to discuss the situation with those who know the students best so that they can partner together on supporting the student. 

Please keep in mind that a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, whether the student themself or a close friend or family member, assuredly elicits a good deal of stress and anxiety. With this in mind, please take care to provide a kind and empathetic response when a student discloses that COVID-19 is impacting them. Additionally, offering affected students reasonable flexibility with deadlines or expectations, when possible, is apt to be helpful.