Columbia has a lot of excellent sexual health resources if you know where to look. Just in case you don’t, we compiled a list of sexual health resources at Columbia that you can take advantage of, mostly for free, especially if you have the Columbia insurance plan. This list includes information about safer sex supplies, LGBTQ+ health, contraception, sexual assault, and more. This is not a 100% comprehensive list of resources offered at Columbia, and deals mostly with sexual health in particular. 

  • Columbia provides a variety of safer sex supplies, including condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, etc. You can find them at Medical Services (4th floor of John Jay), Sexual Violence Response (7th floor of Lerner), Alice! Health Promotion (3rd floor of John Jay), and Disability Services (1st floor of Wien). Here is also a map. Many RAs keep a stock of condoms outside of their doors as well. Pro tip: you can find condoms in the entrance to the 3rd floor of John Jay, but they are usually the cheaper, lower-quality generic brand condoms. If you walk into the waiting area, there are cabinets with Durex condoms.
  • There are also free tampons and pads in John Jay, on the 3rd and 4th floors. They are stocked in the waiting room cabinet on the 3rd floor, along with safer sex supplies, or you can ask for some at the front desk on the 4th floor. Many bathrooms around campus also have free tampons and pads, but they are not always well-stocked.
  • You can get free HIV and syphilis testing through the Gay Health Advocacy Project. It is completely confidential and available to the entire Columbia community, including all students and their partners, staff, and faculty. You can access this at Alice! Health Promotion on the 3rd floor of John Jay. It’s also a great resource for information about HIV and any other STDs in general, and GHAP arranges treatment and support for HIV-infected students.

  • Go Ask Alice! is a great online resource for health-related FAQs. It has information about alcohol, drugs, sexual health, emotional health, etc. It covers topics ranging from peeling after using a tanning bed and the difference between molly and ecstasy to a guide on different types of condoms. For any random health-related question you may have, however weird it may be, Alice might actually have an answer, so definitely check it out.
  • If you have a question that’s not on Go Ask Alice!, visit Alice! Health Promotion on the 3rd floor on John Jay instead of Googling it and coming to false conclusions via WebMD.
  • If you are under the Columbia insurance, you can get free birth control pills through John Jay Health Services. Just book an appointment, talk to your physician for a prescription, and pick up the pills at a pharmacy of your choice. You can also have a consultation with your physician about which birth control method would be the best for you; it might be the pill, it might be the patch, etc.
  • IUD insertions are also free at Columbia Health through the Columbia insurance.
  • Plan B is free at Columbia Health. Everyone makes mistakes. If you are in a situation where you need Plan B, you can get it at Columbia Health, free of judgment or monetary cost. (Note: it may not be free for all insurance plans. You can go and ask.)
  • You can get tested for STDs for free through Columbia Health if you have the Columbia insurance, whether it be just a regular checkup or because you have reason to be concerned. Book an appointment anytime. There is absolutely no judgment, so don’t worry about that.
  • Columbia Health provides free HPV vaccine shots. You can book an appointment and have a consultation with a physician before deciding to get it.
  • Columbia Health provides various pregnancy-related resources, including testing and counseling for elective termination and pregnancy options. The website says that prenatal care is provided off-campus and covered by the Columbia insurance plan. Columbia Health does not offer abortions, however.
  • This isn’t a sexual health thing, but Columbia Health provides free flu shots on a walk-in basis. Get the flu shot. Getting the flu sucks. Literally just get the shot.
  • GHAP offers PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis – i.e. Truvada) for the prevention of HIV in HIV-negative individuals. Truvada is covered under the Columbia insurance, as well as many other insurance plans. GHAP will help you figure out insurance logistics if you’re not under the Columbia insurance plan. PrEP requires a prescription, a daily pill, and a health care provider visit with blood tests four times a year. You can call 212-854-6655 or email dbc15@columbia.edu to contact GHAP for PrEP, or go to Alice! Health Promotion on the 3rd floor of John Jay Hall. Here is more information about PrEP.
  • You can access hormone therapy for gender affirmation (a.k.a. hormone replacement therapy) or continue hormone therapy initiated elsewhere through Columbia Health and GHAP. If you have any questions about this or want to begin hormone therapy, you can contact the Associate Director of GHAP at ghap@columbia.edu or 212-854-6655. You can also visit Alice! Health promotion on the 3rd floor of John Jay. More information here.
  • Columbia Health provides information and consultations about gender-affirming surgery. The Columbia insurance plan provides some benefits for the surgery. More information here.
  • Barnard’s Well-Woman is a fantastic resource for women’s health. This isn’t exclusively for sexual health, and deals with other women’s health-related issues as well, including self-care, stress, sleep, etc. Well-Woman is a program designed primarily for Barnard students. They host workshops and provide a variety of on-and-offline resources. Their office is located in 119 Reid Hall.
  • If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind (this includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, relationship abuse, etc.), here are some confidential resources (they do not share any identifying information with anyone) you can access through Columbia:
    • 24/7 Sexual Violence Response hotline: 212-854-HELP (4357) for rape crisis/anti violence support and sexual violence prevention education. Also accessible in 700 Lerner Hall, 105 Hewitt Hall, and 206 Bard Hall (CUMC).
    • Student Health Services: routine/urgent medical care, sexual health, reproductive and gynecological services, LGBTQ+ health care, etc. Accessible at John Jay Hall 4th floor (212-854-7426 & press 4 for after hours), Brooks Hall Lower Level (212-854-2091, & 855-622-1903 for after hours), and Bard-Haven Tower 1, Suite B234 (CUMC; 212-305-3400 & press 7 for after hours).
    • Counseling Services: trauma support, short-term counseling, referral for long-term counseling, student support groups. Accessible at Lerner Hall 8th floor (212-854-2878 & press 1 for after hours), 100 Hewitt Hall (212-854-2092, & 855-622-1903 for after hours), Bard-Haven Tower 1 Suite 1D (CUMC; 212-305-3400 & press 7 for after hours).
    • Pastoral and Spiritual Counseling: counseling and worship available at the Office of the University Chaplain, no personal religious affiliation required. Accessible in 710 Lerner Hall (212-854-1493).
  • Here are also some non-confidential resources (they disclose information only when it’s necessary for the student to get additional help or in order to keep the community safe):
    • Public Safety: 24/7 emergency response. 212-854-5555.
    • Gender-based Misconduct Office: gender-based misconduct complaints (i.e. you can report instances of sexual violence, but it won’t necessarily be confidential), investigation, adjudication, neutral guidance and support for all students (i.e. victims and accused perpetrators), etc. Accessible at 800 Watson Hall (212-854-1717).
    • Title IX Coordinators: oversight of Title IX investigations, complaint resolutions, gender-based misconduct policy training, university compliance with sex discrimination laws. Accessible at 202A Philosophy Hall (212-853-1276, TitleIX@columbia.edu), 105 Milbank Hall (212-854-0037, azavadil@barnard.edu).
  • Here is a website with more information on sexual respect and on-campus resources. No Red Tape also provides information on on-and-off-campus resources (link leads to on-campus resources, but there are more links on the sidebar).
  • If you have been sexually assaulted, here are the steps you should take, according to Columbia Health:
    • Get to a safe place, such as your home, a friend’s home, a hospital or a police station. If you would like an escort, you can call 212-854-HELP (4357) for a Survivor Advocate to meet or accompany you to a hospital or an NYC Precinct, 24/7.
    • Call for assistance. You can call 911 or Public Safety for immediate police protection and assistance, or call 212-854-HELP (4357) for a professional Survivor Advocate or a Peer Advocate from the Sexual Violence Response Center. Both are available 24/7. Note that Public Safety is a non-confidential resource, and the Sexual Violence Response Center is a confidential resource. 
    • Seek medical attention to check for injuries, prevent STIs, obtain appropriate medication, prevent pregnancy, and collect evidence. Collecting evidence does not require you to report the incident to the police or take legal action; it’s simply to save and preserve evidence for the future. The most accessible medical care resources from the MoHi campus is Columbia/Barnard Health and St. Luke’s Hospital (call 212-523-3300 for the emergency department).
    • Preserve evidence. You should avoid drinking, eating, showering, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, or changing your clothes. Evidence can still be collected if you have done any of these things, and it’s still important that you seek medical attention. If you did change your clothes, take the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault to the hospital. If you didn’t change your clothes, bring a change of clothes to the hospital if you can.
    • Consider going to a counselor. You can go to CPS (Counseling and Psychological Services; 212-854-2878), Rosemary Furman Counseling Center (Barnard; 212-854-2092), or the Center for Student Wellness (CUMC; 212-305-3400). For an off-campus resource, you can access the Crime Victims Treatment Center at Mount Sinai/St. Lukes by calling 212-523-4728 for an appointment (M-F 9am-5pm).
    • Consider reporting the crime to law enforcement, visiting the Sexual Violence Response and Rape Crisis Anti-Violence Support Center, seeking confidential help and further resources, filing a complaint with the university, etc.
  • Here are more off-campus resources related to sexual assault:
  • Visit this page for more resources, links, phone numbers, etc. related to domestic violence, stalking, LGBTQ+ resources, disability resources, POC resources, etc.
  • If you want to report sexual assault, you can:
    • Call the NYPD Special Victims Report Line: 212-267-RAPE (7273).
    • Call the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Adult Sexual Assault Unit: 212-335-9373.
    • Report it to the Gender-Based Misconduct Office (non-confidential on-campus resource): 212-854-1717.
    • Talk to your RA or residence hall director. Check whether the person you’re talking to is a confidential or non-confidential resource, if that is a matter of concern to you.
    • All of this information, as well as information regarding legal help, is available here.

More information is available on the Columbia Health website. If you know of something important that is not included in this post, please comment below.

Image via Columbia Health