By Jake Gramanz, Staff Writer
In October and November, Gettysburg College students received their yearly flu vaccinations, but many were surprised to discover that the vaccinations were not provided by the College for free like in previous years.
The College used to hold a free flu shot clinic in Servo once a week for the month of October. This semester, in the clinic provided by WellSpan on campus, students were charged through their insurance providers.
This follows the decision to merge the College’s health service center with WellSpan, the regional healthcare provider for much of southern Pennsylvania, that was announced in August.
Ehrlich cited this merger as a collaborative relationship, stating “Gettysburg College is committed to providing you with the best medical care possible and the newly-formed relationship with WellSpan allows for a comprehensive approach to medical care. WellSpan’s network of physicians, providers, specialists, diagnostic services, hospitals, and partnerships will ensure you have access to comprehensive medical care while at Gettysburg College.”
The collaboration between the College and WellSpan is an attempt at improving the College’s health coverage for students.
Associate Vice President for College Life Jeff Foster stated, “Our goal was and remains for students to have access to high-quality health services which, in part, is dependent upon having both sufficient and stable staffing, which was becoming a challenge for the College prior to establishing the partnership.”
The merge with WellSpan resulted in changes to payment processing. Under the hospital care system, payments must now be processed through patients’ insurance plans, which is why students have seen charges on their insurance statements.
Director of Gettysburg Health Center by WellSpan Health Ayla Braley said, “Flu vaccines are processed through the patient’s insurance when administered by a hospital system, a pharmacy, medical clinics, flu vaccine clinics, etc.”
Students shared their unhappiness with this change, stating that it made the flu vaccine more expensive.
“I think it’s ridiculous that I’m getting charged $76 for what used to be a free shot on campus. Why would I get vaccinated here when I can go home and do it for free?” said Jalissa Ortega ’23.
Andrew Keenan ’23 stated, “If I can get vaccinated somewhere else for half the price or even free why would I go to the Wellness center? They don’t do a good job advertising what’s available and when [it is available] for students.”
Regardless of how vaccinations are processed, the College decided to form a relationship with WellSpan to improve the quality of healthcare on campus.
Braley stated “the health clinic promotes well-being, and holistic health and vaccinations are part of what we do for this great community. Offering the flu vaccine on campus is a convenience for many that have busy schedules, and many have expressed appreciation of the clinic.”
