Goshen College expands mental and medical health services for its students
As students’ economic and health insurance statuses continue to shift, Goshen College has expanded its medical and mental health services for students to help bridge the gap.
The Center for Health and Wellness at Goshen College has recently been the subject of two formal agreements with the Center for Healing and Hope and the Maple City Healthcare Center, as well as with counseling and telehealth services. These new partnerships and virtual health options with local organizations will create a growing network of healthcare providers to better provide for the financial and health insurance coverage needs of the students of Goshen College.
Currently, Goshen College suggests that its students all have their own health insurance coverage. The college has no inherent responsibility to students for their medical expenses. Back in 2025 the school removed its requirement that students have insurance in order to enroll in order to provide a more equitable pathway to higher education for potential students. However, some of Goshen’s programs, such as SST, athletics, and nursing, do still require that interested students show proof of insurance in order to participate.
In an article posted on Goshen College’s website, Patty Hartshorn, the school’s director of health and wellness, was quoted about students and health insurance, saying, “There are students who find it incredibly difficult to acquire health insurance. We had to make a decision: Are we going to be open to all individuals seeking educational opportunities at Goshen College? Or are we going to restrict opportunities to those who can prove that they have health insurance?”
The Center for Health and Wellness realized that with recent changes to various policies, as well as students’ socioeconomic status and insurance coverage, that it needed to make a change. Now the Center is working to prioritize providing quality medical care for its students while also mediating their medical expenses.
“As our student population diversifies, so do their medical and insurance needs,” Hartshorn noted.
Hartshorn’s team worked with her to collect a list of medical organizations in the area who would be able to provide affordable medical care and services to uninsured patients. This search resulted in the school developing two formal provider agreements with Maple City Healthcare Center and the Center for Healing.
Maple City Healthcare Center is a full service medical provider that offers referral to specialists, nutrition and dietician services, women's healthcare, in-office medical procedures and preventative healthcare. The center also provides behavioral and mental health care to its patients. MCHCC is able to offer assistance to Goshen students who wish to obtain health insurance through their insurance navigator. Students who do not have any form of health insurance or do not wish to be insured, are able to take advantage of a sliding scale payment method for their medical bills based on their income.
The Center for Healing and Hope offers general practice and specialty care, minor procedures, acute and preventative healthcare, and physicals to people who are members of vulnerable populations or who are uninsured. When a Goshen College student shows their ID at TCHH, they pay only $20 for a physician visit, and between $5 and $15 for prescription medication and necessary labs. The Center for Healing and Hope also provides a ride share network for patients with less reliable transportation options. The ride share is for transportation both to and from medical appointments.
These formal agreements require both The Center for Healing and Hope and Maple City Healthcare to commit to provide their mental and medical health services to Goshen College students upon them registering as patients.
Transportation is also an issue that is addressed through these new agreements. Students have noted over time that a significant barrier to obtaining medical care is the ability to get to and from their doctor. Now, students are able to show their student ID on the local trolley to get a free ride to all three of the school’s medical partners. Maple City Healthcare Center is only three miles from Goshen’s campus, and the Center for Healing and Hope is just two miles away, located in downtown Goshen. Students who choose to receive healthcare from the Center for Healing and Hope are also able to take advantage of the center’s ride share network to get to and from their appointments.
For the past 12 years, Goshen Family Physicians has been Goshen College’s major medical partner. GFP is a full service clinic, and as such works to offer referral to specialists, Study-Service Term physicals, sport physicals, annual check ups, and management of acute and chronic illnesses to every Goshen College student.
Even with the two new healthcare providers joining into a partnership with Goshen College, the school’s relationship with GFP remains active, and will continue to be the primary source of medical support for students attending the college. GFP will continue to participate in SST where it assists students by administering all vaccinations required for international travel, coordinates with medical service providers abroad, and assists students with diagnosis.
Hartshorn spoke about the school’s relationship with Goshen Family Physicians, saying, “We are very grateful for all the services and support Goshen Family Physicians has been able to give us.”
Goshen College’s health services expansion further works to assuage students’ transportation concerns by providing telehealth options for both counseling and medical services.
Every Goshen student is now able to access the Indiana University Health Virtual Care Clinic, which is a telehealth service that offers referral to other healthcare services, as well as same day diagnosis and treatment. Students are able to choose to present their health insurance to IUHVCC, or choose a self pay option.
Goshen College’s Counseling Office is also continuing to offer walk in hours and in person sessions to students. Though it has noted that it has only three licensed counselors, and a total of 35 appointment slots available to students in any given week. Hartshorn noted that just over 10% of students during the 2024-2025 academic year were able to take advantage of regular counseling sessions as a result of this limited capacity.
As a result, with the goal of improving access to counseling services, Goshen has partnered with UWill, a virtual counseling service that specializes in higher education. UWill works to connect students with a range of providers based on their preferences like LGBTQ+ competency, gender, cultural background, and/or language. This is because UWill has a network across the country and over 20 other countries as well. Interested students will be able to choose their own appointment day, time, and their counselor.
Hartshorn noted the benefits of this partnership: “There’s increased opportunity for students to connect with somebody who they feel represents them, and who they feel understands their needs.”
Students who desire further mental health services also have treatment from Maple City Healthcare Center and Oaklawn, an addiction and mental health services provider with a number of campuses in South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and Goshen.
Hartshorn said of the expansion of services for the school’s students, “Hopefully, we’ve created options for students and have taken some stress off their plate. That way they can focus on being successful students.”
The Center for Health and Welles will also continue to host its annual Health and Wellness Fair, host panels for medical experts and community advocates to answer students’ medical questions, and partner with the Indiana Department of Health of immunization clinics for students.
More information about Goshen College can be found on the school’s website.