SRU is partnering with Giant Eagle Pharmacy to offer two vaccine clinics to all students, faculty and staff this fall. The available vaccines include flu, COVID-19, MMR, pneumonia, RSV, shingles and Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis).
The second clinic will take place Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Russell Wright Alumni House.
Students, faculty and staff can book an appointment and complete the required forms through online links included in the SRU Communication email. Participants should bring their completed form and health insurance card. Giant Eagle Advantage Card owners can receive a $5 grocery and gas shopping incentive.
Vice President of Student Affairs David Hilmes spoke about the clinics. He said that offering MMR vaccines, which protect against measles, mumps and rubella, was a priority due to the recent uptick in Pennsylvania measles cases.
“We wanted the MMR vaccine offered, certainly, because if you’ve seen, we have a very high number of measles cases here in Pennsylvania,” Hilmes said. “It’s up over 800 at this point, so we wanted to ensure that that vaccine was available for those who wanted to take it.”
Once the MMR vaccine had been requested, Giant Eagle responded by offering additional vaccine options.
“Giant Eagle said back, ‘well, we can bring all of these different vaccines.’ And so, again, this really just allows individuals who want those specific vaccines to choose the vaccine that they need.”
Hilmes said there are two advantages to partnering with Giant Eagle instead of going through the Student Health Center. The first is that the clinics can be offered to faculty and staff in addition to students.
“Our Student Health Center cannot see employees, so we could not offer these vaccines to faculty and staff. We want to make sure that this is campus-community wide. Our health center is only allowed to see students,” Hilmes said.
The second advantage is that Giant Eagle Pharmacy can process insurance coverage, Hilmes said.
“We also don’t bill insurance through our Student Health Center, so by partnering with Giant Eagle, they come over and take care of all of those pieces,” he said. “For most individuals, if they have health insurance, those vaccines are covered by that health insurance. Because they’re able to take on all the work involved with billing insurance, we’re able to have them do that for us.”
The communicative environment of a college campus brings further importance to the vaccination clinics, Hilmes said.
“One thing that’s unique about a college environment is that it’s a very social environment. Students are living together, eating together, in class together, in events and clubs and activities together…given that we spend so much time together, there is a heightened risk of communicable diseases,” he said. “Anything from colds to the flu to measles. And so, we want to make sure that we are giving all of the options available to our students, faculty and staff to have that preventable healthcare that they need.”
Hilmes emphasized that vaccinations are important to the health of the campus community and can help students to be able to focus on their studies and well-being.
“We want people to be healthy and happy, and in that college environment, it’s even more important that people have access to that. What we don’t want is for illness to get in the way of students attending class, participating in campus activities and things like that,” the president said.
For students, faculty and staff, Hilmes said the close proximity of the clinics offer a convenient way to receive vaccinations without having to leave campus.
“There is a convenience factor. I mean, Giant Eagle isn’t that far away, but by bringing it onto campus, it makes it a little simpler for both students and employees,” he said. “Employees are here for work, students are here for classes and etcetera, so just stop by and get it taken care of.”
The Student Health Center also offers vaccinations throughout the year, and Hilmes recommends that students who are interested in being vaccinated but did not participate in the clinics receive them there.
“[F]or students only, we also do offer vaccines in the Student Health Center, so that is another opportunity,” he said. “So, if they miss the clinics, they can make an appointment for flu, COVID or MMR here in the health center itself.”
Students can also reach out directly to the Student Health Center with any questions or concerns about the vaccines.
Hilmes reiterated the importance of vaccinations to the wellbeing of the campus community and encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in the clinics.
“Overall, I would say that our goal is to support the health and wellbeing of the entire campus by giving these vaccines right here, conveniently here on campus, and we hope that students, faculty and staff all take advantage of them while they can,” Hilmes said.
