200 free flu shots ready for Faculty and Staff Clinic’s 10th anniversary bash

Louise O’Keefe, Faculty and Staff Clinic director, and Amber McPhail, nurse practitioner, in the clinic.

Michael Mercier | UAH

The first 200 people who want one will get a free flu shot when the Faculty and Staff Clinic at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) celebrates its 10^th anniversary with an open house from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.

The clinic, a division of the UAH College of Nursing located in Suite 327 Wilson Hall, will offer the shots courtesy of the College of Nursing and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Open house visitors can tour the facility, speak with the staff and learn more about the services offered. Healthy snacks will be provided.

UAH’s Faculty and Staff Clinic opened its doors on June 7, 2007. In December 2006, Fay Raines, then dean of the College of Nursing, appointed Louise O’Keefe to establish and direct the clinic, a position she has held since then. O’Keefe earned her doctorate in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) and is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP).

"I was working as a family nurse practitioner in a family practice in Virginia for 10 years before I moved to Huntsville, where I was hired as faculty in the College of Nursing in August 2006," O’Keefe says. Initially, the clinic was located in Spragins Hall.

"Jim Harris, the athletic director at the time, was generous in offering us the use of the exam rooms in the training room," says O’Keefe. "Dr. E.J. Brophy, director of intercollegiate athletics, continued to support us in letting us use the location."

In January 2015, the clinic moved to its current Wilson Hall location. Over 10 years, the clinic has served 1,513 employees with 10,476 office visits.

These patient and visit numbers translate to a cost savings of $1,560,924 for UAH over the last 10 years, O’Keefe says.

"The clinic allows UAH faculty and staff to receive selected, on-site, high-quality health services," says O’Keefe. "The clinic will provide services that will supplement, but not replace, the services provided by the employee’s primary health care provider."

In doing so, the clinic also saves the employee money.

"Currently, a co-pay for an off-site provider visit is $35. The charge for a visit to the Faculty & Staff Clinic is $5, saving the employee $30," says O’Keefe. "Therefore, over the last 10 years, the clinic has saved employees $314,280 in out-of-pocket expenses."

Patients are asked to call (256) 824-2100 to inquire about a specific service. Generally, services provided by the clinic include:

• Preventive care (physical exams, pap smears, STD testing);
• Sick visits (sinus infections, pneumonia, vaginal infections, UTI/bladder infections, rashes, allergies, etc.);
• Musculoskeletal injuries (sprained ankles, hip pain, etc.);
• Lab work (thyroid test, cholesterol test, anemia test, etc.);
• Immunizations (influenza, tetanus and pertussis, etc.);
• Screenings (blood pressure, anemia, glucose, etc.);
• Health education and counseling;
• Wellness Program screening.

Payment is $5 per visit and can be made in cash, by check or by payroll deduction. In-office tests and vaccines may require an additional charge.

"I would like to say thank you to UAH employees for their support of the clinic. The clinic staff – Nicke Keimer, office manager, Amber McPhail, nurse practitioner, and myself – feel honored to serve our university employees," says O’Keefe.

"In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Marsha Adams, dean of the College of Nursing, Dr. Christine Curtis, provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs, and UAH President Dr. Robert Altenkirch for their support."