University of Lincoln-Nebraska Health Center Struggles to Inform Students about Free Flu Shot
By Kristin Haskell
The UNL health center is a place on campus where students can get checkups or follow up on health concerns. You have the choice of doing a drop in visit or scheduling your visit online. (Photo by Kristin Haskell Of UNL’s health center)
Throughout the past couple of years UNL’s health center employees have noticed that the number of flu shots given to students has slowly decreased as a new year comes. With viruses becoming easier to catch during the cold months, the health center has always provided flu shots for free for students attending the university and even has given students the opportunity to stop by without a scheduled appointment. The drop in flu shot clinic normally occurs on Wednesdays. However, even though the health center has provided many opportunities for students to get their yearly flu shot, students are not using the health center as their first resource.
In a survey that I conducted amongst UNL students specifically only three out of the 11 responses said that they used UNL’s health center as a resource for their free flu shot. Most students in the survey responded that they tend to get their flu shot at their local doctor or places like CVS and Walgreens.
However, this seemed to not be a problem in previous years. When the health center completed flu shot distribution, 2506 students received their flu shot vaccination at the health center in the year of 2019. Now as they are just finishing up their flu shot season this year, their current number of vaccinations given in 2023 is 1332 students who have received the flu shot.
Marketing coordinator for Nebraska Medicine Jess Nguyen was one of the few at the health center this year that noticed the decrease in students getting the flu shot and expressed concern for the future.
“2023 numbers compared to what we've seen in the past for flu shot clinics has gone down a lot,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen even shared that not only has the university’s health centers numbers went down, but also in Nebraska's community. "Even Nebraska Medicine, as a hospital system, our numbers have been down too so it’s not just students. It's also the public.”
UNL’s health center isn’t the only place experiencing a drop in flu shots. Nguyen shared that other health centers around Lincoln have noticed the decrease and now they are trying to figure out why. (Photo of UNL’s health center by Kristin Haskell)
Nebraska Medicine was quick to notice the decline through their health tracking questionnaire where it asks if someone has received the flu shot this year or not.
“Even if you don't get the flu shot, you have to go in and fill out this questionnaire, and a lot of people have just decided not to get it, "Said Nguyen.
Nguyen said it was also discussed that maybe the COVID-19 pandemic might have something to do with the drop in students receiving the flu shot. Since during the time of the pandemic where COVID-19 vaccines were mandatory to go certain places, many people were willing to get the vaccine. However now as we are finally moving out of the pandemic, Nguyen thinks the decrease in flu shots could be related to it being a personal choice and not mandatory.
“If you don't have to do it, you're not going to go out of your way to do it. I think a lot of people kind of think in a selfish manner in a way of thinking it doesn't benefit me in any way.”
A student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln also shared the same concern as Nguyen, but also thinks that getting the flu shot should remain a choice. Cloe Sondag, sophmore, majoring in pre health from Papillion, Nebraska said that “I personally think it is a little insensitive, but everybody has the right to do what they want with their own body.”
However, Dylanne Hattfield, another student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from Omaha Nebraska studying business administration, shared why she did not partake in getting the flu shot this season.
“I didn’t get it this year because I heard that many people were getting sick from it and I figured it would not be beneficial for me to get it this year since I haven’t been getting it frequently.”
Hattfield also shared that she thinks there’s no direct correlation between the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu shot, only the amount of time each vaccination has been out.
Hattfield shared that she thinks less people are getting the flu shot because compared to other virsuses that are new, the flu has been around for a long time so people aren’t as concerned with a virus we know a lot about. (Photo of health center by Kristin Haskell)
“The flu shot has been around for a very long time, so maybe people just put less importance on it.”
The university health center now has been trying to figure out different ways for next year to better supply the students of UNL with their flu shot in a way that is more promotional and easier for the students to access.
“We're going try to find ways that we can do them on campus. So, whether that's back at the campus rec or in the multipurpose rooms in Cather,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen shared that usually every year the health center tries to send out a mass email to UNL students to inform them about the free flu shot that is provided, but that has not seemed to help them up their numbers this year as they were hoping.
Besides sending out emails other information about the flu shot clinics can we found on UNL’s calendar, but even the announcements on there haven’t brought a lot of attention to the clinics.
The health center is hoping that if they can conduct pop up clinics next year in more popular spots on campus that they will see a higher percentage of students receiving the flu shot.
Hattfield also shared that there are various other ways besides pop up tents in order to increase student awareness.
“They could make it more prominent on social media to let students know and we also could have signs around campus. Just more advertising altogether,” Hattfield said.
To learn more information about the free flu shot on campus, you can visit UNL’s health center online.
Contacts:
Jess Nguyen (402) 253 7300 https://otter.ai/u/HCmktjsKaxXohR3KNuezkcjBG0U?utm_source=copy_url
Elise St. Claire (208) 539 1024 https://otter.ai/u/0fZvjZRjJSJ2W0JusP43IzgStQU?utm_source=copy_url
Cloe Sondog (712) 326 9569 https://otter.ai/u/xppZsmQjC6ApI5YdyMgU5DNO_j4?utm_source=copy_url
Dylanne Hattfield (402) 670 8372 https://otter.ai/u/nBFrU62rB8mf-jJWCx8G2zzgZfI?utm_source=copy_url
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