An emergency is anything that places the student at risk, whether illness, an act of violence, civil unrest in the host country, a missing student or a natural disaster. As you can see, emergencies are not necessarily medical. Emergencies are unplanned or unexpected occurrences that jeopardize the health, safety or well-being of a student or a group of students.
Emergencies are NOT: losing a textbook or digital camera, sore throats or ear aches. For such medical conditions, simply visit a doctor. The international office at your overseas center will provide you with the names of doctors and hospitals to use at your on-site orientation.
If the emergency occurs overseas, contact the local emergency services immediately (police, fire, ambulance), if necessary. Then contact the on-site, international center staff or the CSU Resident Director. You will be given their contact information at orientation and you should keep it in a safe place where you can refer to it if necessary. Program their numbers into your cell phone for quick reference. The local people at your overseas center are best equipped to provide immediate and appropriate assistance in the event of an emergency.
Once the student has been assisted, it is important to inform the Office of International Programs (OIP) in Long Beach about the emergency and we will provide any additional assistance that we can. You can telephone OIP at: (562) 951-4790 during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST).
After hours or on weekends you have access to an emergency travel assistance service called Travel Guard. This is a supplemental part of the mandatory health insurance policy that all CSU IP participants have purchased. For any serious emergency situations they should be contacted as soon as possible.
| Travel Guard Phone Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Toll Free (inside the U.S. and Canada) | (800) 626-2427 |
| Outside the USA or Canada call direct or collect | (713) 267-2525 |
The multi-lingual staff will answer your call and provide reliable, professional and thorough assistance. The following services are included in the program: emergency medical evacuation transportation assistance; physician/hospital/dental/vision referrals; repatriation of mortal remains; return travel arrangements; emergency prescription replacement; in-patient and out-patient medical case management; qualified liaison for relaying medical information to family members; arrangements of visitor to bedside of hospitalized insured; eyeglasses and corrective lens replacement assistance; direct billing to medical providers; shipment of medical records; medical equipment rental/replacement; flight re-bookings; hotel re-bookings; rental vehicle booking; emergency return travel arrangements; rental vehicle return; lost baggage search; stolen luggage replacement assistance; lost passport assistance; ATM locator; emergency cash transfer assistance; travel information including visa/passport requirements; emergency telephone interpretation assistance; urgent message relay to family; inoculation information; embassy or consulate referral; currency conversion; up-to-the-minute information on local medical advisories, epidemics, required immunizations and available preventive measures; legal referrals/bail bond assistance; worldwide public holiday information.
Note: Travel Guard is NOT an insurance company but rather an emergency assistance company which provides international services in conjunction with the insurance benefits covered by your health insurance policy. They do NOT reimburse for any of the above-mentioned services, but rather coordinate and provide such services as needed according to their judgment of the situation. We cannot stress enough how important it is to call Travel Guard as soon as you are able when any emergency arises to ensure maximum assistance from them.
