Florida employees and students gathered at the Florida A&M Benefits Fair in Gaither Gymnasium Thursday for information regarding insurance and other health options.
Open insurance enrollment for Florida employees continues through Nov. 2. This is the only period during the year that employees are allowed to make any changes to their insurances and benefits.
FAMU is one of the locations in Florida that host benefit fairs for state employees. All FAMU employees are state workers.
Associate Director of Human Resources at FAMU Sherrye Earst described the fair as “an event to provide or employees with information pertaining to insurances, retirements and other benefits.”
Booths for Florida Blue, Colonial Life, Met Life and other companies were set up for attendees to gather information regarding health, disability, vision, financial and life insurances.
Staff from FAMU’s health center provided attendees with free vaccinations for this year’s flu season. Influenza is most prominent during the months of October to May.
Donna Starke an advance registered nurse practitioner for the health center strongly recommended yearly vaccinations “preferably through the months of October and March so you can get protection in May.”
FAMU nursing students provided blood pressure tests and Allied Health Center students examined heart rate and oxygen saturation, all free of charge.
Mary Adams, an employee for FAMU’s Athletic Department, was one of many who made use of the fair this year.
“I enjoyed it,” Adams said. “I went to update my beneficiaries. I checked on some retirement opportunities, I took advantage of the free flu shot and I had them do a blood pressure check.”
Adams also noticed “the employees were taking advantage of this open enrollment fair and were asking questions and appeared to be getting some good information.”