Starting an Auburn Abroad Program

Emergency Preparedness

Responsibility of Students
As part of program preparation, OIE-Auburn Abroad (AUAB) works with faculty directors to arrange and conduct Pre-departure Sessions. These sessions include topics on bringing prescription drugs into countries, unblocking credit cards for travel, money access and usage on-site, communicating while abroad, alcohol and drug use and penalties, resources for victims if students are accused of a crime, and maintaining health and safety abroad. These sessions assist students to prepare for travel and to understand how and why they need to take responsibility for their health and safety abroad – in addition to the resources that Auburn is providing through MEDEX.

Steps to taking prescriptions abroad:
Students need to attend mandatory program pre-departure sessions. These are usually conducted 2 to 3 months prior to departure. Tasks that need to be done at this time include:

• Letters Needed to Get Prescriptions through Customs: Students are advised to get physicians’ letters for all prescription drugs they take into another country since the restricted drug list varies by country (Note: “restricted” may not be the same as “illegal”, it depends on the laws of the country).
   
• Taking the Prescription Amount Needed Abroad: Students should take an amount of prescription pills/lotions to equal the duration of the program plus two weeks (to cover the week before departure and the week after). If their insurance company limits the amount they can take abroad to a monthly amount and this is less than the amount needed, the student will need to submit a program acceptance letter to the insurance company. Since this may take time, the student needs to start early on this task.
   
• Physicals and Vaccinations: Some programs and countries require this for entry and acceptance. If needed, start this process at least 2-3 months prior to departure.
   
• Notifying Banks and Credit Card companies: Students need to notify their bank and credit card companies that they will be using these cards in selected countries so that the companies will unblock their cards. Students are also advised to obtain a PIN for their CREDIT cards. Since this number needs to be mailed to them, they need to do this well in advance of departure.

MEDEX/Global Insurance Coverage
Auburn provides an Emergency Medical Assistance plan through MEDEX/ Global Benefits for all students who travel abroad on Auburn Abroad programs. All Auburn students are on the same policy. The plan has unlimited coverage for medical and security evacuation, repatriation of remains, and includes 24/7 medical referrals throughout the world. The plan also provides $50,000 in medical benefits (doctor and hospital coverage) for students and will send a financial guarantee to a hospital abroad to assist in getting students admitted and discharged without excessive charges to the students. Pre-existing conditions (e.g., pregnancy and pre-existing back problems) are not covered and there are exclusions.

Other considerations:

• There is a $100 deductible and the plan coverage begins 100 miles outside of Auburn, AL.
• Any expenses not paid could be reimbursed via a claim form with receipts sent to Global Benefits.
• Providing Physician referrals when the faculty or students travel outside of the home base of the program.
• Medical evacuations must be mandated by a MEDEX approved physician
• Security evacuations must be formally recommended by the local U.S. embassy or consulate.

Overlap with domestic insurance
Students are also required to continue their current domestic insurance while abroad or to obtain at least $250,000 of domestic insurance before they go abroad and for the duration of their program. Coverage under domestic insurance plans however, may be limited outside the US to only life threatening conditions. All students are automatically enrolled in MEDEX with their Auburn Abroad enrollment and will be issued a MEDEX/Global Card. Coverage afforded through MEDEX is excess to any insurance afforded through the student’s own domestic insurance.

MEDEX/Global Benefits Sign-up Procedures
Students are sent their MEDEX card via email once OIE-AUAB has enrolled them in Auburn Abroad and MEDEX.

Obtaining help from MEDEX
Call MEDEX collect from abroad: +410-453-6330, tell MEDEX that you are on an Auburn Abroad program, give them both the MEDEX number on the card and the Global number. These directions are on the card emailed to participants upon enrollment.

Tell MEDEX the nature of the problem and a number where you can be reached. They will give you a case number to give to the doctor or hospital.

In the case of a student who is not capable of making the call, another student or the faculty director may call on their behalf

Other sources of assistance
The best source of information about medical resources at the program home base is:

• The faculty director, who can obtain this information, prior to departure, from the local host university, hotel or trip logistics vendor.
   
• The local resources at the home base of the program are familiar with local facilities, physicians and logistics.
   
• Physician information available at the Citizens Service Section of the nearest US Consulate, which will supply a general list of English speaking physicians in the vicinity.
   
• Call COLLECT to MEDEX for 24/7 referrals to physicians, hospitals, dentists

Non-Program Student Travel
As a security measure, students are required to notify the Faculty Director of their travel itinerary and contact information if they leave the program site overnight or on a planned program holiday. This can be done in a variety of ways, some programs utilize web-based “Survey Monkey” and others utilize email notification. Each faculty director sets up their preferred method of notification and the consequences if students do not adhere to the policy. This procedure is an integral part of the safety measures of each program; students who do not comply add additional work for the faculty director and may compromise the program’s activities.

Getting Country Alerts, Contacting US Consulates, & Red Cross in the Area
US Embassy Registration: All student participants are required to register with the US Department of State – international trip registration (www.travel.state.gov) WHENEVER they travel abroad and to list ALL countries where they will travel. This site will track US citizens by country and provide country alerts via email to individuals via computers and other communication devices.

International students participating in Auburn Abroad programs should keep a list of their consulates handy for every country they visit.