The annual faculty and staff flu vaccine program sponsored by Human Resources has kicked off its fall schedule. Clinics are offered at all campus locations throughout the fall semester, and are free to any Penn State employee regardless of job appointment or enrollment in Penn State’s medical plan.
In addition, the vaccine is free for spouses who are enrolled in Penn State’s medical plan, and $24 for spouses who are not enrolled in the plan. While online registration is required, the actual process of getting the vaccine takes only about 10 minutes. Before registering for a flu vaccine clinic for the first time, a spouse of an employee will need to create a Friends of Penn State account and then the employee is required to link that person to his or her account in emPOWER. Instructions for this process are displayed on the emPOWER home page under, “How do I register my spouse?”
The convenient locations were selected to be in close proximity to large numbers of faculty and staff, making the clinics easily accessible to many Penn State employees. For a complete list of clinic location and times, or to register for a flu shot, visit Flu vaccine clinics, and choose Flu Shots/Screenings from the program categories menu.
Each year, more than 6,000 employees and their spouses take advantage of the faculty and staff flu vaccine clinics.
The campus flu vaccine clinic program was primarily designed with employee access and convenience in mind, and participating in the on-campus clinics is also an effective way for the University to manage its costs, while providing a service that may keep employees healthier in the coming months.
For each flu vaccine that is administered at an on-campus clinic, as opposed to a physician’s office or another outside location, the savings is about $30 per vaccine, which translates to $180,000 in lower costs to the University. Penn State is able to partner with a flu vaccine vendor to receive favorable pricing, and, since these clinics are conducted on University property, there are fewer overhead costs.
To view the flu shot clinics’ locations and times, or to register, visit Flu vaccine clinics.