Emergency Guidelines for the Campus Community

H1N1 Influenza

November 12, 2009 E-Mail to Students

To: Princeton undergraduate and graduate students
From: University Health Services and Environmental Health and Safety

Re: H1N1 Vaccine Clinic for Eligible Students, Nov. 16
Date: Nov. 12, 2009 

We want to update students that the University has received additional doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine, and University Health Services will offer the H1N1 vaccine to the next groups of students on the established health priority list at a vaccination clinic on Monday, Nov. 16, in the Frist Campus Center, multipurpose room B. Please take a moment to read this e-mail in its entirety for important information about: who is eligible to receive the vaccine; vaccine costs; documentation required for vaccination; and general information about the University's H1N1 vaccine distribution plans.

The Nov. 16 vaccine clinic will open at 10 a.m. and will remain open until all available doses have been given or until 6 p.m., whichever comes first. There are no appointments necessary, and vaccines will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis. The following students and student dependents will be eligible to receive the vaccine at the clinic, as per guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 

--All students and their dependents 16 to 24 years old.

--All students or student dependents who are pregnant. Women must present documentation from a healthcare provider confirming their pregnancy.
 
--Students and their dependents who are caregivers of babies less than 6 months old. Caregivers must present the baby's birth certificate as confirmation.

--Students and dependents 25 to 64 years old with pre-existing medical conditions that may put them at higher risk for flu complications. Students with pre-existing medical conditions should have already identified themselves to UHS. Students who have not done so already will need to bring documentation to the vaccine clinic from a healthcare provider in order to be placed on UHS' list of high risk students.

Please note that only the injectible form of the H1N1 vaccine will be available at the clinic. The injectible vaccine is approved for use in all of the groups listed above, including pregnant women.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is overseeing distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine to providers in the state, including the University. In order to be eligible to receive the vaccine, providers had to agree to distribute vaccinations according to the CDC prioritization guidelines. The eligible groups listed above fall in line with the prioritization guidelines.

H1N1 vaccine costs

The federal government is providing doses of the H1N1 vaccine free of cost; however, there are administrative costs associated with distributing the vaccine.

Any student or eligible student dependent who is on the University's student health plan (SHP) may receive the H1N1 vaccine from the University at no cost. 

Individuals who are not on the student health plan may be charged a nominal fee of $15 to cover the administrative costs of distributing the vaccine, depending on their insurance. Students may submit a receipt to private insurance companies for reimbursement. If a student is unable to pay the fee, financial assistance will be available by contacting Jan Runkle at UHS at (609) 258-3555.

Documentation required for vaccination

Students and their dependents must bring the following items to the H1N1 vaccine clinic on Nov. 16:

--University ID card
--Insurance card, whether the Aetna Student Health Plan or another private insurance company
--$15 cash or check if not on the Student Health Plan
--The additional documentation specified above for pregnant students, infant caregivers or individuals with pre-existing medical conditions who have not previously disclosed this information to UHS.

Information about H1N1 vaccine distribution plans

As explained in the Oct. 29, 2009, all-campus e-mail, because the state will distribute limited doses of the H1N1 vaccine in staggered shipments, most providers, including the University, will not be able to provide vaccinations to all eligible groups during the same time period. Also, given the limited quantities, we regret that the University is not able to offer the H1N1 vaccine to all members of our community at this time.

The University is currently proceeding with plans to offer vaccinations to individuals whose primary healthcare provider is UHS: undergraduate and graduate students, as well as student dependents 16 years and older.

A small quantity of vaccine doses first became available to the University in late October and UHS held two H1N1 vaccination clinics on Nov. 4 and Nov. 10 for students and student dependents in the highest health priority groups according to CDC guidelines. Students in these health priority groups who did not receive the vaccine at the earlier clinics are still eligible to receive the vaccine at the Nov. 16 clinic. 

The University must await more information from the state about when further vaccine shipments may be distributed in order to determine when the vaccine can be offered to the remainder of the student population who do not fall under the groups listed above.
The University also must await more information about state vaccine distribution plans to determine whether it will be able to offer the vaccine to faculty and staff as the vaccine becomes more widely available.

We encourage all members of our community to make every effort to take advantage of the resources available to them to maintain good health.

For more information, visit the University's H1N1 web page:
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/emergency/swineflu/.

Last update: 12-Nov-2009 4:37 PM
Web page comments or errors: Robin Izzo.