Pharmacy
Contact
Phone: (831) 459-2360
Contact: send a secure message on Health e-Messenger
Location: Cowell Student Health Center, East Wing, 1st Floor, on McLaughlin Drive
Hours
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Prescriptions for UC SHIP Students
If you have UC SHIP, the UCSC Student Health Center Pharmacy can fill your prescriptions. It offers the lowest copays for students with SHIP. Our pharmacists can also work with an off-campus pharmacy to transfer your prescriptions to the Student Health Center Pharmacy.
Refills
To reorder, choose one of these three options
To reorder, choose one of these three options:
- Come to the pharmacy window in person.
- Use Health e-Messenger to request a refill by following these steps: open messages → select new messages → choose prescription refill request/transfer request → complete the form.
- Call the pharmacy at (831) 459-2360.
Prescription transfers and off-campus prescription refills
Transferring to the UCSC Pharmacy: use Health e-Messenger to request a refill by following these steps: open messages → select new messages → choose prescription refill request/transfer request → complete the form. (include your current pharmacy’s name, phone number, and medication name)
Transferring from UCSC to another pharmacy: If the UCSC Pharmacy filled your prescriptions, you can get them refilled at any pharmacy that accepts Optum PBM (UC SHIP’s pharmacy benefits program). This includes Safeway, Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, and most independent pharmacies. Ask your pharmacy to call us at (831) 459-2360. We will transfer all your remaining refills.
Prescription Pick-Up
We can send you a text message when your prescription is ready to pick up. Once you receive a notification, you will have 7 days to pick up your medication.
Resources
Pharmacy Benefits: Covered Medications for Optum RX, UC SHIP’s Pharmacy Benefits plan
Contraception
Contraceptives—including pills, patches, rings, injections, IUDs, and implantable products—require a prescription. You can submit a request for pills, patches, and rings through our online program from the UCSC Student Health Center, which does not require an in-person appointment.
Emergency contraception is available without a prescription at the Pharmacy. Other non-prescription contraceptives (condoms and other safer sex supplies) are available at SHOP’s Condom Co-op and at the Pharmacy.
Read our Contraception FAQs to learn what to do if you experience side effects, forget to take a pill, run out of pills, or want to use emergency contraception.
Over-the-counter health supplies for all students and staff
All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to purchase these items from the Pharmacy:
- Over-the-counter medications (OTCs) and health supplies: Fill your medicine cabinet with reasonably priced first aid supplies, allergy medication, hygiene items, etc. View the Pharmacy’s OTC products (pdf)(inventory and prices may change).
- Need a COVID-19 Test? Rapid Antigen Self-Test kits are available for purchase at the UCSC Pharmacy. Each kit contains 1 test at a budget-friendly price.
FREE safer sex supplies for students, such as condoms and dental dams.
Safe disposal of unused medications and sharps: The UCSC Student Health Center Pharmacy offers safe and free disposal for unused and expired medications as well as household sharps (in approved sharps containers). Learn where to drop off your meds and sharps.
Fees & insurance
The UCSC Pharmacy only accepts the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP). Most prescriptions have a copay:
- $0 for contraceptives
- $5 for generic prescriptions
- $25 for brand-name prescriptions
- $40 for non-formulary products
If you don’t have UC SHIP, we can help you choose an off-campus pharmacy that accepts your insurance.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, Apple Pay, and can also bill directly to your student account. Unfortunately, we cannot accept Medi-Cal, but we can help you choose a pharmacy that does. Fees are subject to change.
Safe, free disposal of medicines and sharps
The UCSC Student Health Center Pharmacy offers safe and free disposal of your unused and expired medications, as well as household sharps (in approved sharps containers).
The Sharps Solution program is administered through a county grant with help from Ecology Action. It’s free and available to students, staff, and faculty. This program helps protect the environment by reducing the number of chemicals and sharps that end up in sewers and landfills. It also improves safety at home, especially for children, pets, and the elderly.
Unwanted medicine disposal
What Items Can I Dispose of at a Kiosk? You may dispose of medications in any dosage form, except for those specifically listed as Not Accepted, by placing them in their original container or in a sealed plastic bag.
Before You Dispose:
- Separate and remove any items that are not accepted
- Combine all pills into a single sealed plastic bag to save space
- Recycle empty pill bottles and any leftover packaging
- Leave liquid medicines in their original containers
- Remove or mark out personal information on all labels
How to dispose of meds or sharps
Drop off your prepared items in the pharmacy’s medicine disposal bin.
Not Accepted: herbal remedies, vitamins, supplements, cosmetics, personal care products, medical devices, batteries, mercury-containing thermometers, sharps, illicit or illegal drugs, pet pesticide products, animal medicines, biologics (such as insulin).
Sharps Disposal
Sharps include hypodermic needles, syringes, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, broken medication glass (such as ampoules), scalpels, and suture needles.
How to Dispose:
- Put all sharps in an approved red plastic sharps container
- Sharps containers are available to students free of charge at the pharmacy
- Place the sealed, approved sharps container in the red sharps disposal receptacle located near the pharmacy
Important: by law, all sharps must be disposed of in approved sharps containers. Sharps are not allowed in trash or landfills, even when contained.