Sexual and Reproductive Care

Emergency contraception is available at the Hamre Center and at a vending machine in the Leonard Center. We have two brands available to you, Plan B and Ella. These are also known as the morning after pill. You can pick up Plan B without an appointment or prescription from a medical provider by stopping by our front desk during business hours and/or you can find it in the vending machine in the Leonard Center across from the athletic classrooms. The cost of Plan B from the vending machine is $18. Ella requires a medical prescription and an appointment. For Ella, call our office at 651.696.6275 to schedule an appointment. If you are on the Macalester student health insurance and you are going through the Hamre Center, there is no charge for either brand. If you are not on the Macalester student health insurance, the cost for Plan B and/or Ella is $15.

You may have genital testing for STIs without any clinician touching or examining you. People of any gender may pee in a cup; people who have a vagina can either pee in a cup or self-swab for some STI testing. Your provider will talk to you about what type of testing and lab collection is the right fit for you. There is a charge for lab tests.

Some people prefer to get their STI testing or care off campus for insurance, privacy, or any other reasons. For those that are open to getting testing on campus at the Hamre center, you may call 651-696-6275 to make an appointment or see if online scheduling is available for this service via the patient portal.

Medical providers at the Hamre center can prescribe PeP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV prevention with a medical appointment. This includes meeting with a provider, obtaining informed consent about the specific prescriptions, lab work and lab monitoring, and sending the prescription to be obtained at a local pharmacy. The pharmacy you use is up to you and/or your insurance company preferences. The cost of PeP and PrEP prescriptions varies by your insurance company. The visit to meet with a provider and discuss PeP and PrEP is free of charge. The labs to monitor safety will not be done unless you agree and understand the costs associated with them. If you desire to obtain these services off-campus, Hamre center providers can help you find the best and/or most affordable location.

We provide evaluation, testing and treatment for common vaginal, vulvar, penile, or anal infections. We also are here to answer questions about sexual function (such as lubrication or erections), sexual desire, and well-being. To speak with and have an exam with a medical provider is always free of charge. Only labs, tests, and vaccines have charges associated with them, and this will always be discussed with you and consent obtained, before doing them.

We offer counseling, management, and prescriptions for pregnancy prevention. There are many birth control options available to you, and it is important to find a method that is right for you. Our medical providers will meet with you to present you with all of the information and knowledge you need to make a decision. To explore options prior to your appointment, visit here,

Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) and the Implant

We do not offer IUDs or the Implant (Nexplanon) at our office. If you are interested in either option, we would refer you to our community clinics for support. IUDs and/or the Implant can be used as a long-acting contraception option that will work continuously to prevent pregnancy. An IUD is a tiny device that is put inside your uterus. There are two types of IUDs, copper and hormonal. The copper IUD, Paragard, can be used as an emergency contraception option for up to 5 days after intercourse. The implant, Nexplanon or Implanon, is an implant placed under the skin of your upper arm. If you are interested in getting an IUD and/or the Implant, you can call our community resources to help you choose the best option for you. 

Family Tree Clinic
612.473.0800
1919 Nicollet Ave,
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Planned Parenthood
651.698.2406
671 Vandalia St.,
Saint Paul, MN 55114

You can find the most up to date and accurate public transit information from the metro transit trip planner website or download the Metro Transit App.

Current Macalester students can get a free Universal Pass (provides unlimited rides on all Metro Transit bus and light rail trains). To get your free pass, please bring your Macalester ID to the Information Desk in the Campus Center. For more information visit the information desk website.

Urine pregnancy testing is available by appointment and free of charge at the Hamre center. All Hamre center providers are committed to offering all-options counseling to pregnant patients including referrals to local abortion clinics. Local abortion clinics can offer either medical (taking a prescription pill) or surgical abortions since these services are not available at college health clinics such as the Hamre center. 

Abortion clinic community resources:

• Birth Control, STD Testing & Abortion – Minneapolis, MN
• Planned Parenthood North Central States
• Whole Woman’s Health

There are several ways that you can access free condoms, dental dams, and other sexual health supplies: (1) Complete the Anonymous Safer Sex Kit  request online, (2) Pick them up from a basket outside the Hamre Center, and (3) From the Sexual Health supply kits in the Residence Halls.

Like any encounter with a medical professional, there are often power and privilege dynamics at play. Therefore, it is our job to ensure that you have choice and control over your body throughout the appointment. We will explain to you what each step is before it happens, and ask for your consent to proceed or not. Learn more about Sensitive Medical Exam Guidelines.  

If you have capacity to offer feedback, tell your medical provider you have suggestions for improving your comfort. You may bring a comfort item with you. You can also let your provider know if you would like to bring someone you know and trust into the room with you. Likewise, if you feel uncomfortable at any time, let your provider know, and the exam will immediately stop. 

If you need to have a medical provider of a specific gender identity for religious, personal or cultural reasons, Hamre Center will make every effort to accommodate your preferences.

If you need to remove your clothing to be examined, you will be given a gown or sheet. Only the parts of your body being examined should be uncovered. If the gown or sheet is too big or too small, let your provider know.

Your body, your health, your rules!

When taking a medical history, your provider might ask you questions about:

• Your general physical and mental health and well-being
• Your alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drug use
• Your sexual and relationship health and well-being
• Family history of certain medical conditions
• Present or past trauma

Know that your responses are confidential in accordance with the law and that they allow your medical provider to make the most appropriate recommendations. However, it is always your right to refuse to answer any questions that you don’t want to answer.

You may not be comfortable talking about your sexuality and might wonder why your medical provider needs to know so many detailed questions about it. Here are some reasons why your provider needs to ask specific details about your sexual health in order to give you the best care possible:

• Each sexually transmitted infection (STI), including HIV, has its own test. You might need to provide a urine sample for one test, for example, while another test might require that you get swabbed or have blood drawn.
• Infections can be found in the throat and rectum, too, so it is important for your provider to know which body parts have been involved in sexual activity.
• It takes time for STIs, including HIV, to be detected by a test. So, your sexual practices can influence how often you should get yourself tested.
• The best birth control (if applicable) for you can depend on several factors, such as how often condoms are used or your relationship style(s).
• Safer sex is not just about condoms, and you might engage in sexual activity in which condoms cannot be used.  So, safer sex recommendations depend on your specific practices.

Know that your responses are confidential in accordance with the law, and that they allow your medical provider to make the most appropriate recommendations. However, it is always your right to refuse to answer any questions that you don’t want to answer.

Ask any questions about follow-up care, make plans for your next appointment, and congratulate yourself – you’ve taken important steps to safeguard your health by participating in this appointment.

Any student has the right to request a clinical attendant during a sensitive exam, regardless of your gender identity/expression or the gender identity/expression of your medical provider. Please let us know if you would like an attendant present during your exam. 

If the provider identifies as a man, he most likely has a clinical attendant with him when performing most sensitive exams. He will talk with you about this or if you prefer to bring your own friend/attendant that is an option.

A: In the context of health care, “informed consent” means that we will present you with all of the information and knowledge you need to make a decision so you understand the impact it may have on the biological, psychological, and social domains of your life. This includes, but not limited to sharing risks and benefits, potential positive and negative outcomes, offering you resources and support for continued understanding, allowing space for questions, and giving you opportunity to communicate your choice and decide if you want to move forward.

We are very committed to providing you with lots of education and information so that you can make the best decisions about your own body and health care. We trust that you know yourself better than anyone. 

We also encourage you to continue connecting with the community and accessing many of the resources and knowledge outside of our office, so that support and information continues to be accessible to you with or without seeking medical or mental health services from our office.

A: Call our front office at 651-696-6275 to schedule an appointment. Depending on the time of year, first-time medical appointments may have a 1-4 week wait and first-time mental health appointments may have a 2-3 week wait from the time of your call.

A: It depends. Our goal is to make hormone care as affordable as possible. There is no cost for medical visits, talking with providers, and/or getting physical exams (with your consent). When medical labs or prescriptions are agreed upon by you and your provider, we will discuss anticipated costs or options with you. See Hamre Center list of charges document. Our mental health counseling services are free and available to all Macalester students regardless of your class/year.

A: Your feedback is very important to us. We encourage and invite feedback about our work with you, successes, and areas for improvement. If we make a mistake, you do not feel safe and respected in our care, and/or there is something about your care that you’d like to offer feedback on, below are several options to do so. 

1. Anonymous Feedback Form
2. Direct email to Jen Jacobsen, Hamre Center Executive Director

We acknowledge the emotional labor that goes into offering feedback, especially after experiencing harm. If you do not have capacity to offer us your emotional labor with feedback, we understand. If you have limited capacity, please be sure to prioritize your care first and foremost. If you do choose to contact us, please know it is our hope to not only deeply hear what you offer, but also give options to you about what we can do to repair and/or correct what went wrong in a way that feels centered on the impacts you experienced.