The Hub helps students, Oakland residents get vaccinated for the upcoming winter

The Pitt Vaccination and Health Connection Hub, also known as “The Hub,” sits under Nordenberg Hall and is next to the Pitt Pharmacy and Student Health Services. Inside, they offer flu shots, COVID vaccines and other medical services.

With flu season quickly approaching and the importance of a vaccinated campus growing, The Hub is open every weekday to all students, faculty and residents of Oakland. The Hub will also be holding its annual flu shot clinics on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9 at the Petersen Events Center.

Patricia Klatt, clinical director at The Hub, stressed the significance of the COVID-19 vaccine for this upcoming winter.

“Everybody really needs to get the new COVID vaccine, the 2024 version,” Klatt said. “It is a new vaccine — it has the same technology, but it has a new strain, so it provides better coverage for what’s circulating now than the previous vaccines would.”

Klatt said that The Hub focuses on having “very few barriers” for people to get vaccines. This includes having “large appointment availability” and free flu vaccines for students. Klatt added that since the Hub does its own medical and pharmacy billing, they are able to offer many vaccines for a lower price than a typical pharmacy would.

Klatt also mentioned that students should check if they are up to date on the tetanus and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to prevent illnesses such as whooping cough, which she said has recently become more common on Pitt’s campus.

Although the COVID pandemic has passed its peak, the illness is still present in the community today. Amanda Casagrande, a family medicine physician and one of The Hub’s medical directors, said while COVID and the flu are less common than in the past, they’re still damaging.

“Elderly, immunocompromised, and frail patients are still at high risk for hospitalization and other health consequences from these viruses,” Casagrande said. “Even healthy patients can still get sick, causing them to miss work and school. We really need to do our part to protect ourselves and other members of our community by receiving both the flu and COVID vaccines this season.”

The Hub also provides travel consultations, blood pressure screenings, fasting cholesterol panels, blood glucose screenings and other services to the community.

Sophia Herbert, The Hub’s director of education and a faculty member at the School of Pharmacy, said that the Hub’s location makes it convenient for community members to access.

“We are a public health resource to everyone in the Oakland area,” Herbert said. “We do try to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated, and we do find that a lot of people come to us for that reason.”

According to Herbert, many students come into the Hub to be helped with understanding their health insurance or coached on how to manage their healthcare without their parents.

“We are an open door for students to be able to walk in and not only get vaccination services but also to ask questions,” Herbert said. “For a lot of the students we take care of, it might be their first time managing their own healthcare and navigating the healthcare system.”

The Hub is open to all Oakland residents, and Herbert said she is hopeful that people will use their services.

“If you’re curious, if you have any questions about vaccines or about accessing healthcare in general, please just come on in and talk to one of our pharmacists,” Herbert said. “I know it can be a little intimidating to access healthcare, so our doors are always there.”