Health and Wellness Resources
Nothing is more powerful than a healthy mind and body when it comes to your education. We make sure students have access to health and counseling services to help cope with personal problems, deal with emotional crises, and receive general health assessments and treatments. If this is an urgent concern for yourself or a fellow student, please call 911.
Your Health is your Strength
Resources and guidance to navigate life as a college student are readily available on and off campus to support your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Students can visit the Mercy Health - ONU Health Center for a full range of general health assessments, evaluations, and medical treatments. Located conveniently on campus inside the Lakeview Apartment complex (just behind the Freed Center), the clinic functions just like a standard family doctor's office. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-ins are always welcome, though scheduling ahead is highly recommended to minimize wait times.
- Actionable Step: Save the Health Center's phone number (419-226-4520) in your student's contacts and ensure they set up a MyChart account for easy scheduling and digital chart tracking.
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To ensure a smooth check-in process, students should always bring their official ONU Student ID card and a physical copy of their health insurance card to every appointment. If your student is visiting for the first time or managing a chronic condition, bringing a complete list of their current daily medications and any known drug allergies is also incredibly helpful for the medical staff.
- Actionable Step: Take a clear photo of the front and back of your student's health insurance card and keep it saved on their smartphone so they always have access to their policy numbers.
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Yes, absolutely. The Mercy Health - ONU Counseling Center provides a compassionate, non-judgmental environment to support students navigating the major life changes and academic stresses of college. Licensed professionals offer both individual and couples counseling to help students manage anxiety, homesickness, roommate challenges, relationship difficulties, time management, and emotional crises.
- Actionable Step: Students can discreetly request an appointment by calling the Counseling Center at 419-604-3372 or emailing the team directly at ONU-Counseling-Center@mercy.com.
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Students' privacy is strictly protected. The Counseling Center adheres to professional ethical codes and rigid HIPAA guidelines; no health information or session details can be shared with parents, professors, or administrators without the student's explicit written consent. Regarding costs, the center operates on a fee-for-service model. Students can choose to bill their regular health insurance or utilize a self-pay option. If financial hardship is an issue, needs-based financial assistance forms are readily available directly at the Center.
- Actionable Step: Sit down with your student before the semester begins to discuss how your family's health insurance network handles out-of-town medical and behavioral health billing.
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The ONU CARE Team is a multidisciplinary group of campus administrators, housing staff, and health professionals dedicated to early intervention and student support. If a professor, roommate, or family member notices a student is missing classes, withdrawing socially, or showing signs of severe personal stress, they can submit a non-urgent referral to the CARE Team. The team then reaches out directly to the student in a supportive, non-punitive way to connect them with the exact academic, physical, or mental health resources they need to get back on track.
- Actionable Step: If you have a non-urgent concern about your student’s holistic well-being or safety, you can easily initiate a private connection by emailing the team at care@onu.edu.
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We believe in supporting the whole person. For physical wellness, students have free access to the King Horn Sports Center, which features comprehensive weight rooms, cardio areas, an indoor track, sports courts, a pool, and the outdoor "Green Monster" 2.5-mile jogging path. For spiritual health, students can utilize our campus Chapel services and connect with the University Chaplain for multi-faith religious life programming. Additionally, we support basic needs through our on-campus Polar Bear Food Cupboard, ensuring no student faces food insecurity while pursuing their degree.
- Actionable Step: Have your student add the King Horn facility hours and the campus recreation intramural schedules to their digital calendar during orientation week to build a healthy fitness routine early.
Need Help?
The Care Team within the Division of Student Affairs at Ohio Northern University cares about the mental, spiritual and physical well-being of every student and recognizes that circumstances may impact your ability to reach academic success. Staff members follow up on each concern to ensure it is addressed by the appropriate personnel.Non-urgent student concerns can be brought to the attention of CARE by email.