LEESBURG, Va. — RxAlly, an alliance of more than 22,000 pharmacies, is participating in Vote & Vax, a national public health initiative to increase the number of Americans who get a flu vaccination.
Through the effort announced Tuesday, participating RxAlly pharmacies — including independent pharmacies, regional drug chains and select Walgreens drug stores — will host flu vaccine clinics at local polling sites or in their stores on Election Day to educate patients about the importance of annual flu immunizations. This approach is especially important for Americans aged 50 and older who are at the greatest risk of having serious complications from the flu.
Older adults are at higher risk for developing serious complications from the flu, and polling sites typically attract a large percentage of adults age 50 and older, making Election Day an ideal time to offer and promote flu shots, RxAlly noted.
"RxAlly’s involvement in Vote & Vax enables local pharmacies to activate and protect their communities by providing additional access to care," Bruce Roberts, chief executive officer of RxAlly, said in a statement. "Local vaccination clinics help solve a serious problem with a community-rooted solution and promote a culture of improved national health."
A 2008 multistate survey commissioned by the Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration (SPARC) found that nearly 48% of those vaccinated at Vote & Vax sites had not received a flu shot in the previous year or would not have otherwise been vaccinated.
"The nationwide reach of Vote & Vax provides a great opportunity to implement a creative public health strategy that reaches those most vulnerable to influenza," stated Douglas Shenson, M.D., of SPARC, who is directing the national effort. "You don’t have to vote to get vaccinated at these clinics, but for a lot of Americans, the convenience of both casting a ballot and protecting yourself from the flu is an attractive option."
