On September 7, 2023, Provost David Kotz '86 made the following announcement:
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
As part of Dartmouth's focus on promoting student health and well-being, we are exploring ways to remove barriers that students may experience when seeking care.
In focus groups, students explained that when they are worried about a friend's level of intoxication, they may be reluctant to make a Good Samaritan ("Good Sam") call because of the cost of admittance to the Dartmouth Health Service Inpatient Department/Infirmary. Effective at 8 a.m. on Sept. 8 (when the inpatient department opens for the fall), we will eliminate all fees related to overnight stays for intoxication or any other health-related issues.
We appreciate the advocacy of student leaders on this topic, including student body president Jessica Chiriboga '24. One of the strengths of our close-knit community is our capacity to care for one another, particularly when we see someone struggling. We hope this new policy will make it easier to act on that care and concern. Please remember that anyone can make a Good Sam call at any time of day or night by calling the Department of Safety and Security at 603-646-4000.
Sincerely,
David Kotz
Provost