Mobile Clinics, Same-day Appointments Introduced Across the Country by Walgreens to Ensure Ease of COVID-19 Vaccine Access

Due to the success of its COVID-19 vaccination clinics hosted at sites such as churches and community centers across the country, Walgreens announced that it will now activate mobile clinics in Chicago, Illinois. The mobile clinics will focus on providing vaccinations in medically underserved communities and among those with access barriers in the city. Over the next 2 months, additional mobile clinics will be activated to expand to other locations across the country as well.

At these mobile clinics, individuals will be able to walk up to directly receive a vaccination from a Walgreens pharmacy team member. Additionally, Walgreens plans to partner with local organizations in communities where the mobile clinics will be stopping in order to facilitate direct communication regarding the dates that the mobile clinic will be present and vaccinating.

To date, more than 15 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered by Walgreens pharmacy staff, with more than 700 vaccination clinics established in underserved communities and hundreds more planned for establishment over the next month.

“We understand the important role Walgreens has and will continue to play in removing access barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine,” said John Standley, president, Walgreens, in a press release. “Mobile clinics and the other models we use will allow us to bring vaccines to the heart of the most impacted communities, as well as addressing common barriers like transportation and convenience for those who want to get vaccinated.”

Additionally, on May 5, Walgreens will begin same-day COVID-19 vaccine appointments at all of its retail locations in the United States, with walk-in appointments available at certain stores. As a part of this expanded availability, the company plans to ensure Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be broadly available in its retail locations as well.

In order to facilitate company-wide vaccination efforts that support back-to-office plans, Walgreens is also partnering with more than 100 employers as a part of its Test and Protect™ COVID-19 efforts. Currently, companies such as Apple and Amtrak have established such partnerships in order to provide immunizations directly to employees that have not yet been immunized.

In the press release, Walgreens noted that individuals interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine can schedule appointments based on availability in their area through Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine or by calling 1-800-Walgreens. Both resources are available with options in English and Spanish.

REFERENCE

Walgreens Introduces Mobile Clinics, Same-day Appointments Across the Country, Ensuring Ease of Access to Covid-19 Vaccine. Deerfield, IL: Walgreens; May 3, 2021. [email]. Accessed May 3, 2021.