Important Health Care Information

While our wish is to provide all who come on retreat at IMS with an environment most conducive to deepening meditation practice, there are practical limitations regarding the level of support we can reasonably offer. The following information outlines these limitations; please read this before your retreat begins.

In particular, we are unable and unqualified to provide medical and psychological care. For this reason, we request that – apart from unforeseen emergencies – you take care of your own health needs during your stay at IMS.

Participation in IMS programs is at the discretion of the teachers and IMS administration at all times. If, in the opinion of IMS, you are unable to continue to participate productively in your retreat, you may be asked to leave.

Mental health

If you are seeing a therapist and/or any other mental health professional, please inform them of your intention to participate in a retreat. If they have any concerns about your attendance, it is important to  follow their recommendations.

Waiver of liability

On your arrival, you will be asked to sign a waiver of liability and to provide details regarding an emergency contact. Your cooperation with this is necessary in order for you to attend the retreat – you will not be allowed to participate unless we are given this information.

IMS will make every effort to communicate with your contact person in the event of an emergency. She/he should be someone who can either collect you from IMS or help to make transportation arrangements if you need to leave your retreat early.

IMS’s remote location

Our Retreat Center and Forest Refuge facilities are located in a rural area that is approximately 45 minutes away from the nearest hospital. A small clinic and a pharmacy can be found in the nearby town of Barre, but there is no public transportation nor a taxi service in the area to take you there.

Because of the small size of our staff, we cannot, as a general rule, provide transportation for you into town. If certain circumstances do allow us to do this, there is a fee to help cover our expenses.

Emergency medical care

In the event of an acute medical or psychological condition, an IMS representative may determine that professional attention is required. In such situations, IMS staff will call 911 emergency services on your behalf to take you to the nearest Emergency Room.

If you refuse care from 911 personnel, you will be required by them to sign a form acknowledging this, and you will still be liable for the cost of the ambulance call-out. You may also be asked to leave IMS if, in the opinion of IMS representatives, you are unable to remain here safely.

Urgent medical care

In the event of an urgent medical problem that an IMS representative judges is not serious enough to require a 911 call-out, we may be able to arrange for our staff to transport you to the Barre Clinic or to the Emergency Room of one of the nearby hospitals. In such circumstances, there is a fee to help cover our expenses.

If the medical problem requires continued professional care and you are unable to provide or arrange your own transportation for such care, it will be necessary to leave IMS, for your own safety.

Prescription medications

If you are taking prescription medications for any reason, please ensure you bring enough supplies with you to continue treatment for the full duration of your retreat. Discontinuing taking your prescription medications during a retreat is grounds to be asked to leave IMS.

On your arrival, we will also ask for some details regarding your prescription medications. This is so that, in the event of an emergency, we can give the necessary information to Emergency Medical Services personnel. Otherwise, such details remain entirely confidential.

Checklist

Before arriving for your retreat, please make sure that you have the following in place:

• The name and contact details of your emergency contact person.

• Health insurance, or the ability to pay for expenses in the event of illness or a medical emergency. Any costs incurred for health services are your responsibility and not the responsibility of IMS.

• Contact details for your physician, therapist and/or any other medical professionals whose treatment you are under.

• An adequate supply of any prescription medications to cover the full duration of your retreat.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact us before you come. If your retreat is to take place at the Retreat Center, email the Front Office at rc@dharma.org or call (978) 355-4378 ext. 170. If your retreat is to take place at the Forest Refuge, email the office at fr@dharma.org or call (978) 355-2063.

Retreat Center Waiver, Emergency Contact & Medical Information (PDF)

Forest Refuge Waiver, Emergency Contact & Medical Information (PDF)