Student Health will hold its annual student flu shot clinic Wednesday in Newcomb Hall.
“Anyone who has the Student Health Aetna insurance plan will receive the vaccine with no cost to them,” said Sandra Murray, associate director of administration and director of nursing at Student Health. “Anyone with another Aetna insurance plan will also have their shot covered at the clinic and will not have to pay for the vaccine.”
Shots cost $23 for those not covered by an Aetna plan, while FluMist costs $40. Student Health will provide receipts of the vaccine administration so students can submit the charges to their own insurance companies.
Murray said the initiative comes as the University attempts to make the flu vaccine affordable and accessible for college students.
“The main goal of having an extensive, all-day clinic is to ensure that Student Health can reach out to as many students as possible, to ensure that each student is protected against the influenza,” she said.
The flu clinic will partner with Maxim Health Services, which provides the vaccines and additional resources.
“We have asked Maxim to provide as many as 2,000 doses of influenza vaccine,” Murray said. “There are options to receive more should this quantity not be enough. It’s amazing how many students can be vaccinated in just 10 hours’ time.”
Murray said Student Health has provided these clinics annually since 1995, though participation has varied from year to year.
Last year, Student Health diagnosed 146 cases of influenza.
Having records of which students received flu shots is also helpful for staff at Student Health.
“It is important to know that an individual has received a flu shot, making it easier to make a diagnosis for something else,” Murray said. “We never know how pervasive the flu season will be, which is why we encourage the best method of prevention, which is to get a flu shot and to follow the guidelines for healthy behaviors."
Such healthy behaviors include getting enough rest, maintaining awareness about others who may be ill and taking precautions against exposure.
“We want to ensure that students remain well, can continue going to classes and don’t lose class time due to becoming ill with the flu during what is typically a critical time, with exams coming up,” Murray said.
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