UGA Offers Flu Shots with No Out-of-Pocket Costs

To vaccinate as many students, faculty, and staff against the flu as possible, UGA will offer flu shots with no out-of-pocket costs. #flUGA is a series of pop-up flu vaccine clinics held around campus during the fall, presented in partnership between the College of Pharmacy, the University Health Center (UHC), and UGA Well-being Resources. The group hopes to vaccinate 6,500 university community members this year. The first clinic will be at the BeWellUGA Fest on September 10 at the Tate Student Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

“We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible for students to get the flu vaccine,” said Missy Jackson, UHC director of nursing. “By offering vaccines at over 75 locations around campus this fall, and by making them no out-of-pocket cost, we’ve hopefully removed the two biggest excuses we hear: that students either don’t have the time to go seek out a vaccine, or they can’t afford it.” 

Again this year, nurses from the University Health Center will offer mobile vaccine clinics by bringing a golf cart to various places on campus to reach as many people as possible. The UHC will use social media to announce the times and locations for these pop-up vaccine clinics. 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 30 million people will get the flu each year. Even though the vast majority of college students will recover without complications, getting the flu vaccine can help shorten recovery time and make the symptoms much more tolerable for those who catch the virus. 

For a list of #flUGA clinic dates and locations, visit healthcenter.uga.edu. 

Students, faculty, and staff are asked to bring their UGA ID and medical insurance card to #flUGA events, or upload their insurance information to the UHC Patient Portal. Students without insurance will still receive the vaccine at no out-of-pocket cost. The UGA President’s Office has provided funding to help ensure that everyone, regardless of medical insurance status, can be vaccinated. Those with insurance are asked to provide their coverage information to stretch the funding to help cover students who may be uninsured or under-insured. 

In addition to the pop-up clinics, walk-in vaccines are available in the UHC Pharmacy Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, no appointment required, and vaccines are offered to UHC patients at every visit to their Primary Care clinic. UGA faculty and staff have the option to visit the mobile clinics, to walk in to the UHC Pharmacy, or to book an appointment in the Allergy and Travel Clinic (ph: 706-542-5575). 

Writer and contact: Steve Rose, srose@uhs.uga.edu