Health Records

As of May 17, 2023 GCC no longer requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students or employees.

GCC complies with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Regulations related to the immunization requirements of college students and Massachusetts General Laws for the immunization of college health science students as follows:

  • Full-time students under 30 years old taking 12 credits or more
  • All international students under 30 years old, regardless of credit load
  • All health occupations students regardless of age or credit load
    • Nursing, Practical Nursing, Paramedic, and Medical Assistant students must meet additional requirements and deadlines specified in their program documents

Immunization records may be submitted to the Health Records Office in-person, by fax  (413-775-1827) or online using our Secure Document Upload. To submit records in person, bring a physical copy of your immunization records to the Health Records Office, which is located within the Office of Admission at C103 in GCC’s Main Building. To submit records online use the Secure Document Upload button to the right of this page. Immunuization records will take 3-5 day to process.

New students in the first two categories must provide documentation of immunity as specified in the Immunization Records information below. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a HOLD being placed on your record which will prevent you from adding or dropping classes.

Health occupation students must comply with the specific documents and immunization as outlined in their program documents. Health occupations students who miss deadlines jeopardize their placement in the intended program and well as their ability to continue in a program once started.

Medical and religious exemptions are allowed by the regulations and must be renewed annually. Please email for more information.

Health Record Requests

This request form is required for us to release a copy of your immunization records to another facility or directly to you. If you have a CastleBranch account, you must obtain copies of your health records via your account. GCC will provide copies of Health Records only for students who pre-date the use of CastleBranch for health records information. We can provide by mail, fax or email. Please allow three working days from receipt of the completed form for processing your request.

Download Health Record Request Form

The form must be printed and filled out then returned via mail, fax or uploaded (use the Secure Document Upload button to the right of this page). All forms must have a signature. When specifying the address for sending the health record specify complete information, including zip code and the office that it should be sent to, not just a street address, to ensure timely delivery to the recipient.

Fax form to Health Records at 413-775-1827
Mail completed form to:
Greenfield Community College
Health Records Office S322C
1 College Drive
Greenfield, MA 01301-9739

FAQs

Health Records & Immunization

The quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menactra, MCV4, or Menveo) protects against 4 serotypes (A, C, W and Y) of meningococcal disease and is the one required for all full time college students 16 through 21 years of age. It’s routinely recommended at age 11-12 years with a booster at age 16.  Students receiving their first dose on or after their 16th birthday do not need a booster.

Individuals in certain high risk groups may need to receive the Meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (Bexsero and Trumenba) to protect against serogroup B meningococcal disease based on their doctor’s recommendations.  It is not required for college students at this time.

 The records that exist are the ones you or your parents were given when the vaccines were administered and in the medical records of the office or agency where they were given, at least for a limited time until the records are shredded.  There are several places to look for them:

  • Check with your doctor or public health clinic
  • Ask parents or other caregivers if they have records from your childhood doctor’s visits
  • Check your baby book or other childhood documents
  • Check with your high school, however they may only keep records for 5 years
  • Check with your employers as they may have required immunizations
  • Check your military records
  • Contact your state’s health department to request a copy of your information on their registry. In Massachusetts this is the MIIS – Massachusetts Immunization Information System

If you are unable to find all of your records, you may be able to get a blood test to see if you have immunity to some of the vaccine-preventable diseases.  You may also need to get some of the vaccines.

Here are Tips for Locating Old Immunization Records from the Immunization Action Coalition.

It depends on your program and credit hours. The state requirements apply to full time (12 credits) college students and all international students under thirty years old. However the requirements apply to all Nursing, Practical Nursing, Paramedic and Medical Assistant students regardless of age or credit load. Meningococcal vaccination is not required of anyone over 22 years of age.

It is best to see your primary care provider for vaccinations or proof of immunization. If you do not have a healthcare provider you may visit a community health center to become a patient there or visit an urgent care clinic or pharmacy location that provides vaccinations.  Call ahead to determine if an appointment is necessary and verify that your insurance covers the service. Bring a photo ID and insurance information with you to the clinic and get a copy of their vaccine administration documentation to submit to us showing your vaccination or laboratory proof of immunity. Below is a sample of sites in our area:

Vaccinations & lab tests for immunity

  • AIEOU
  • AFC Urgent Care
  • Clear Choice
  • Community Health Center of Franklin County
  • MedExpress
  • On Call Urgent Care
  • Travel Medicine
  • Hospital-affiliated urgent care centers such as Baystate, Mercy & Cooley Dickinson

Vaccinations only – check the store first to ensure they provide this service

  • Big Y Pharmacies
  • Costco Pharmacies
  • CVS stores with a Minute Clinic
  • Rite Aid Pharmacy
  • Stop & Shop Pharmacy
  • Walgreen’s Pharmacy
  • Walmart Pharmacy

The HealthMap Vaccine Finder shows locations that offer immunizations near you.  You can limit your search by location and/or the vaccine you need.

Paper records submitted by students prior our partnership with CastleBranch are kept for 10 years for most students and for 5 years for Nursing, Practical Nursing, Paramedic and Medical Assistant students per the Massachusetts Statewide Records Retention Schedule. At the end of that time period, the records are destroyed. Electronic records may be kept longer but may not include all the information you may need. CastleBranch will follow the same record retention regulations. You should always make copies of your health documents for your own records before submitting them to CastleBranch.

A Health Records hold indicates that your health records are incomplete. Students will receive information from our health records screening company, CastleBranch, to indicate that you are missing information. CastleBranch uses your GCC email account for all communications. There may be missing vaccines, dates, clinician signatures, or have inadequate documentation. The hold will be removed in a timely manner once CastleBranch has received your information and verified that you meet all requirements. All information should be uploaded to your CastleBranch account. If CastleBranch tags a requirement as not being complete and you feel it is complete, contact their customer support via your CastleBranch portal. If you have additional questions, please email us at . Note: you must upload all your documentation directly to CastleBranch.

CastleBranch and the GCC Health Records Office will only send emails regarding health records to students at their GCC email address. This system provides an added level of security beyond commercial email accounts. You should routinely check your GCC email to stay informed. CastleBranch, our health screening company, has accreditation from the Professional Background Screening Association and follows industry standard best-practices for data security. Information can be found here. For students who provided information prior to our partnership with CastleBranch, paper records are secured in locked files and locked storage with restricted access.

Yes, you must meet all of the state immunization requirements but cannot use exemptions for age or history of disease. There are additional requirements for a seasonal flu vaccine each year you are in the program and tuberculosis (TB) testing prior to the first clinical experience of each year.  You must also have documentation of immunity to Hepatitis B by BOTH the series of 3 vaccinations, or the 2 dose HeplisavB series, AND a positive blood test. Additionally, a physical exam is required to be obtained within the specified time frames. You may also be required to provide a negative drug screening and will be contacted accordingly. Refer to your specific health program’s information packet for deadlines and details.

CastleBranch, our health records screener, will provide information about your specific deadlines. You must meet all requirements before the next registration period. You should read immunization requirements before that time as there are some immunizations that require that you receive a series. If you do not submit the required documentation by the deadline, a registration hold will be added to your record that will prevent you from doing any additional class registrations.  Documents should be submitted showing that you have started a vaccination series even if it hasn't been completed. Students in the nursing, practical nursing, paramedic and medical assistant programs have additional deadlines described on their program specific documents.

A hold will be placed on your account and you will not be able to register for for classes. For health occupations students, missed deadlines jeopardize placement in the intended program.

If you know you’ve had immunizations in the past but can't find documentation, you can have blood tests (titers) for measles (rubeola), mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox) and Hepatitis B to prove immunity. If you fail to prove immunity you will have to receive the immunizations. Titers must be done by your medical provider or a clinic and documentation of the test results must be provided to CastleBranch.

Massachusetts State law requires all full-time students under thirty years old (12 credits or more), all international students on student visas under thirty years old, and all students in a health occupation program, regardless of age or credit load, to provide proof of immunization for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella); Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis); Varicella (Chicken Pox) and Hepatitis B.

All full-time college students 16 through 21 years of age will be required to provide documentation of a conjugate type meningococcal vaccine administered on or after their 16th birthday.  This vaccine protects against diseases like Meningitis. Trade names include Menactra, MCV4, Menveo or it may be referred to as a conjugate or MenACWY vaccine type.