Young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 remain the least likely of any age group to have insurance, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. While health care costs continue to rise across the nation, medical expenses while enrolled in SHSU do not have to be expensive. The Student Health Center provides affordable and convenient access to routine health care that includes clinic, laboratory and pharmacy services to Sam Houston State University students.

“Usually when students are ill they have to drive to multiple locations such as their physician’s office and then to a pharmacy,” said Health Programming Coordinator Michelle Lovering. “But at the SHC, students have access to all of these services in one-stop with little wait.”

In order to obtain medication from the pharmacy, all students must have an existing, non-expired prescription from their own provider or from a practitioner at the health center. Whether students have insurance or not, they can still fill their prescriptions at the SHC pharmacy for the same low price.

“The largest cost savings are with generic drugs,” said SHC pharmacist Denise Irby. “These drugs are FDA approved and have the same quality and strength as the more expensive brand name drugs.”

Significant price differences include Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO, a birth control pill, which costs $8.50 at the SHC and $50 at an off campus retail pharmacy. The SHC pharmacy also offers medicines for conditions such as asthma and allergies as well as a whole range of hormonal contraceptives.

“The pharmacy remains one of the most underutilized services,” said Health Center Director Keith Lott. “It has the potential to benefit students the most.”

Not all prescription medicines are available and prices are subject to change. Students should contact the SHC pharmacist Denise Irby at (936) 294-1803 for more information or questions regarding medicine availability or costs.