Students had access to free flu shots and health plan information at recent CSU event
Tia Kutschera Fox // Opinions Editor
On Nov. 2, the Capilano Student’s Union (CSU) partnered with Studentcare and Rexall for the first ever flu vaccination clinic at Capilano University.
The event took place at the CSU Members Centre, where students could get a free flu shot, free food and information about their health and dental plan. “Students are in a place where there are so many different people and you are constantly exposed to so many more germs and bacteria that you need to be a little bit more careful,” Sarah Carrier, CSU services coordinator. The flu shot was one way the CSU wanted to provide an extra service to the students at CapU.
The second part of the clinic was to increase awareness for students about their health and dental plan. Full-time CapU students are automatically enrolled and pay for this plan, and Carrier wants them to take advantage of it. “If they’re paying for it, you want them to be using it,” she said. “Really just telling people like, go to the dentist, get a regular checkup, go book a massage therapy appointment because you can get it covered.”
Many students aren’t aware of the benefits their plan provides, which is why Carrier wanted the information session to be a part of the flu clinic. When students would go to the table to sign up for a shot, Bahareh Jokar with Studentcare was also there to answer any questions and provide general information about the student plan.
While the University was not the only school to provide the vaccination clinic – Langara and UBC also participated – CapU had the highest participation rate. “Before I left that day they [Rexall and Studentcare] were telling me they had more students come out to our flu vaccination clinic than any of the other schools they went to. Like UBC – they only had around 100.”
CapU in total had 110 people get a flu shot. This was a huge success as the CSU was hoping for around 75 participants. The flu clinic will be an annual event, to help prevent sickness during such a critical time for students. Carrier added that this event is also part of a larger series of workshops called #Adulting that the CSU started last year.
For those who were unable to attend the event, there are other ways to learn about their coverage. Students can simply visit the CSU Members Centre and inquire with the staff about their coverage. The Centre now also features kiosk that students can use for self-directed inquiry.
“It’s a kiosk that has video conferencing with someone from the call centre at Studentcare and so you can just pick up a receiver and someone pops up on the screen on the other side, and you can walk through the plan, said Carrier. “It’s quite great because it’s a little more in-depth than what the staff at the front desk have. The staff at the desk don’t talk about individual pieces of the plan, just more general information.”
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For more information regarding the student health and dental plan, visit Csu.bc.ca/services/healthplan