Health Insurance
Having health insurance is a legal requirement and Pacific School of Religion encourages all students to maintain coverage. If you need health insurance, you may compare plans at Covered California.
Common Terms
The additional fee a person pays upfront for each visit to a doctor or for each prescription purchased at the time when service is rendered. Unlike coinsurance where the insured is required to pay a certain percentage of the covered costs, co-pay plans require the insured to pay a specified dollar amount.
The cost a person pays for medical care before the insurance company pays. Some policies have a limit on how much a person will pay in deductibles in a year.
Health Management Organization; PPO – Preferred/Participating Provider Organization; for more info on the differences visit here.
The limited time period in which an individual may enroll, cancel or change their health insurance plan. Once the time of open enrollment has passed, the individual must wait until the next open enrollment time in order to enroll, cancel or change their health insurance plan.
The amount paid or to be paid by the policyholder for coverage under the contract, usually in periodic installments. Premium costs for students will be assessed each semester.
Emotional and Spiritual Wellness: Our Circles of Care
As framed by Ignatian spirituality, our lives are filled with moments of consolation (moments of joy, moments when we feel love, or feel closest to God), and moments of desolation (our “desert moments” when we feel farthest from God, moments when we are lonely, or angry, or feel the least amount of love). As we move in and out of our highs and lows, we at the Office of Community Life want to make sure that you are not alone in your journey.
The Office of Community Life coordinates systems of care within the campus community. The OCL provides networks of support for the PSR community in four ways:
The Campus Care Network provides student-led campus care: to listen, pray, and to support and to respond to crises and everyday concerns in the lives of students and their families at PSR. Campus Care Network members are available around the clock to provide assistance in cases of emergency or crisis. To learn more, contact Ann Jefferson, Director of Community Life and Spiritual Care at 510/849-8257 or ajefferson@psr.edu.
The Pastoral Care Team is comprised by ordained clergy with office hours and location in the PSR campus. The campus pastors have set aside a time from their particular ministries to provide pastoral care for free for the PSR community. Note that the PCT provides “pastoral care,” not “pastoral counseling.” Pastoral care is a broad and inclusive way of pastoral work that is concerned with the support and nurturing of persons and interpersonal relationships. Pastoral counseling is an extended and structured conversation focused on the needs and concerns of the one seeking help (as defined by The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling).
Pastor Kamal Hassan: “I am a spiritual leader, educator, and community servant. I currently serve as Pastor/Teaching Elder at the Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond California, a position I’ve held since 2008. Before this call I spent more than three decades as both a public and private school educator, community organizer and religious worker. I hold an AA degree in Radio Broadcasting from Los Angeles City College, a BA in History from California State University Los Angeles, and a Master of Divinity degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.
I’m a founding member of both the New Afrikan People’s Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and I’ve worked for social justice and Human Rights locally, nationally, and internationally. I was also a volunteer programmer of a regular liberation focused program on radio station KPFK the Pacifica affiliate in Los Angeles for 10 years. I now serve as a Board member of OneLife Institute for Spirituality and Social Transformation based in Oakland California.
I firmly believe that Spiritual Communities must be critically engaged in the effort to mend the tear in our social fabric that has allowed so many of us to focus on our individual needs and ignore the sufferings of others. To be true to our prophetic calling, we must act locally for justice, freedom, and peace while considering the global implications of our commitments. At the same time we must each pursue our inner and outer journeys of faith. I can be reached by facebook, twitter @kamalhassan1 or by phone (510)691-5204.”
To learn more, contact Ann Jefferson, Director of Community Life and Spiritual Care at 510/849-8257 or ajefferson@psr.edu.
In situations when the Campus Care Netowrk and Pastoral Care Team are not available, the Director of Community Life and Spiritual Care will provide pastoral care, especially during emergency situations. This includes PSR’s after hours (weekdays and weekend). Contact Ann Jefferson, Director of Community Life and Spiritual Care at 510/849-8257 or ajefferson@psr.edu.
The Campus Care Network, Pastoral Care Team, and Assistant Dean of Students will refer the community to self-care resources outside of PSR when needed (although a PSR community member is welcome to access this resource anytime). The lists are not given as endorsements but as a starting place to begin your search for a spiritual director, therapist, or counselor who meets your needs and desires. See links below for more information.

