As the 2010-11 flu season begins, Binghamton University’s Health Services is administering annual flu shots, but some students have mixed reactions to the overall quality of service.

‘It is my first experience, but they are so friendly,’ said Jonathan McMahon, a freshman majoring in biology. ‘I think that walk-in hours should be longer. If you get sick you might not have a chance to find someone to drive you to the hospital during the weekends, especially when you are a freshman. Walk-in hours should be expanded and be open during the weekends.’

Health Services provides walk-in hours from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday, for students who are in need of immediate care. After 11 a.m., students can make appointments by calling the Health Services appointment hotline. Appointments are held from 1 to 4 p.m.

George Kurian, a graduate student in the MBA program, also had dubious praise for Health Services.

‘They are great, I got my PPD test at the Health Services, but I had to go to the hospital for further tests,’ he said. ‘I do not have a class in the early morning, but for the people who have classes or work in the early morning, it is hard to use health service facilities. They have to have an appointment.’

Each semester, students pay a $170 Student Health Services fee that funds a variety of services provided by the health services department including immunizations, gynecological care, birth control, traveling medicine, sports medicine, psychiatric counseling and health education counseling, according to their website. They also announced that they are offering 500 free flu shots on a first-come, first-served basis.

Other schools, however, take their own approaches to providing health services.

SUNY Albany’s health service system is similar to that of BU, in which the health services fee is included in the tuition. But they offer some services that go beyond what BU offers.

‘One unique thing we take pride over our health services is our ability to fulfill prescriptions on site,’ said Karl Luntta, University at Albany’s director of media relations.

SUNY Albany offers appointment hours all day, and in the event that a student arrives at the health center without an appointment, they are given the next available appointment based on need, according to Luntta.

Pennsylvania State University also requires all students to make appointments before they can be seen by a physician.

‘The school used to have walk-in office hours,’ said Cathy Stout, an administrative assistant with Pennsylvania State University. ‘However, students would end up having to wait longer because of it.’

According to Stout, all students must now make an appointment before they are seen by a physician at Penn State, although appointments can be made for Saturdays.

Pennsylvania State’s health services is self-funded, and students are required to pay $25 per appointment, and depending on the type of check-up, the price range could increase. Pennsylvania also offers to fill prescriptions and flu shots for $20, as opposed to BU’s $10.

According to Stout, Pennsylvania State has been recognized by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare, which recognizes facilities with high-quality health care services.

BU Health Services did not respond to repeated requests for comment last week and Monday.