Students at Wellesley College are reporting significant barriers to accessing basic medical care, including repeated delays in laboratory services, unexplained billing charges, and persistent communication failures. These challenges, documented by several students, have raised concerns regarding the accessibility, reliability, and transparency of the healthcare provided on campus.
The Newton-Wellesley Medical Group, part of Mass General Brigham, operates the campus Health Services, which moved to the Vivian A. Kao ’04 Health and Counseling Center in March 2025. Despite being open to all students, the facility has struggled to maintain consistent service levels.
Student Faces Weeks of Delays for Blood Draw
For Sabrina Stone ’28, a routine blood draw scheduled for March 24, 2026, turned into a three-week ordeal. During her first visit, staff cited a lack of appropriate tubes. A second attempt was thwarted by the absence of a phlebotomist, and a third visit was delayed by a missing lab order. Stone did not receive the blood draw until April 14, 2026. This is crazy,
Stone said. Why am I doing so much?
Dr. Malina Milan, director of Health Services, stated in an Oct. 23 email that the facility is currently experiencing a shortage of staff to assist with blood draws.
Consequently, phlebotomy services are being provided off-campus at the Newton-Wellesley Mass General Brigham hospital or a satellite lab in Natick. Milan noted that the department expects to resume on-campus phlebotomy by Nov. 6.
Students Struggle with Basic Resources and Insurance
Beyond laboratory issues, students have encountered difficulties in accessing basic resources and using the American healthcare system. Aleine Liu ’30 reported being refused a mask at the facility in late September because she did not have a scheduled appointment. I thought basic health equipment, like masks, are available to every Wellesley student when they go to the Health Services,
Liu said.
Other students have struggled with the complexity of insurance and medical guidance. Melody Chen ’29, who transferred to Columbia University, described an experience where she could not reach anyone at Health Services after injuring her foot. Chen highlighted the difficulty of finding clear insurance information on the Health Services intranet, noting that the process is often opaque. That makes it impossible to protect your own interests,
Chen said. You still end up without the information you need.
