With fall just around the corner, items like lip balm, tissues and lotion are commodities we could all use. Instead of going to the store and spending $5 to $10 at a drug store, students can walk across campus to the Health Center and get these products free of charge. Students pay for the service through their student fees.
Discounted and free pharmacy product lists, located at the pharmacy front desk, describe items and prices that range in categories from pain relievers to diabetes supplies.
According to Robert Hayford, associate director of Student Health Services, the discounted list is not advertised on campus.
“People receive the discounted pharmacy list when they’re here for services,” Hayford said. “The list will typically be given to the patient by his or her provider.”
Students like Brandon Watkins, a senior in mechanical engineering, did not know discounted pharmacy products were available.
“I’ve never heard about the list, I only knew you could get free condoms,” Watkins said. “I’ve only been to the Health Center twice the whole time I’ve been at State.”
Watkins said it is beneficial to have free options available.
“It’s a good idea because college students don’t have a lot of money and whenever they can save some money and get something for free, it’s always helpful,” Watkins said.
Amanda Waters, a junior in elementary education, agrees.
“It’s great students have these choices,” Waters said. “Freebies and cheap stuff is what college is about.”
Hayford said there was a large increase in patient volume this year, not because of the economy, but because flu-like symptoms have affected more students.
“There’s been an increase in volume this year, mostly because students are coming in with flu-like symptoms,” Hayford said. “Last week we had a huge spike in patient visits.”
Generic products on the list are competitive with drug stores and other pharmacies, according to Hayford.
“We try to keep the products below outside-market costs,” Hayford said.
Hayford said generic products are cheaper than name-brand items. Companies that create a pharmaceutical product have high fees to pay, like advertising and research and development costs. After an item has been out on the market, other companies can copy a product’s ingredients at a lesser cost.
Hayford also said there is not a direct source of income that funds the center’s free pharmacy products. He said the items are partially paid for by students’ tuition and through revenue generated by fee-for-services, which means appointments made with women’s health or physical therapy departments. Payments made to these departments help offset the cost of
the free and discounted pharmacy products.