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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens, in partnership with DoorDash and Uber, Thursday announced free, same-day delivery of medications for the prevention and treatment of HIV. The service is available to eligible patients within 15 miles of thousands of participating Walgreens retail pharmacies nationwide.
“While most of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a Walgreens pharmacy, transportation remains a critical barrier to accessing healthcare,” said Walgreens Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kevin Ban,. “With more than half of Walgreens stores located in socially vulnerable or underserved communities, we can help make HIV prevention and treatment options more accessible, convenient and equitable across our communities.”
This initiative is the latest offering in an ongoing collaboration between Walgreens, DoorDash and Uber. In December, following the White House COVID-19 call to action, the companies launched free Paxlovid delivery services aimed at increasing access to COVID-19 treatment, with a focus on reaching those in socially vulnerable or medically underserved areas.
The new service supports the White House’s updated national strategy for a more coordinated, re-energized national response to HIV. The strategy’s targets include a 75% reduction in new HIV infections by 2025 and a 90% reduction by 2030. To realize these targets, the strategy focuses on four goals: prevent new HIV infections; improve HIV-related health outcomes of people with HIV; reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities; and achieve integrated, coordinated efforts that address the HIV epidemic.
“Local delivery has broadened access for communities across the U.S. DoorDash is proud to partner with Walgreens to power the free, same-day delivery of medication to prevent or treat HIV,” said Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean, Vice President of Communications & Policy, DoorDash. “Transportation barriers and other challenges can prevent people from accessing the medicine they need. Our partnership with Walgreens helps ensure that people aren’t denied lifesaving medication just because they can’t make it to their local pharmacy.”
“Over one million people in the U.S. have HIV and the disease disproportionately impacts traditionally underserved populations,” said Julia Paige, Head of Global Social Impact at Uber. “By combining Walgreens nationwide network of pharmacies with Uber’s industry-leading technology, our partnership will help reduce transportation and access barriers so that those who need it most can get their prescription delivered right to their door at no cost to them.”
People with HIV who take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed, and get and keep an undetectable viral load—a very low level of HIV in the blood—can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex. And for people who do not have HIV but are at risk of getting HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective tool for preventing HIV.
How to register for free, Same Day Rx Delivery
Eligible patients must have a prescription for antiretroviral medication or PrEP from a healthcare provider. After the pharmacy has filled the prescription and before it gets picked up, individuals can go online to choose Same Day Rx Delivery by visiting Walgreens.com/PrescriptionDelivery, the Walgreens app or by calling their store.
Walgreens’ commitment to communities impacted by HIV and AIDS
Since the beginning of the epidemic more than 40 years ago, Walgreens has supported those impacted by HIV/AIDS with various national and local initiatives, including, but not limited to:
Combining strengths to end the epidemic: Recently, Walgreens became a founding member of the U.S. Business Action to End HIV, a coalition of businesses seeking to scale up key HIV prevention and treatment strategies to help end the epidemic by 2030.
The first-of-its-kind specialty pharmacy: In 1997, Walgreens opened a first-of-its-kind HIV specialty pharmacy. Today, Walgreens has more than 300 specialty pharmacies across the country and many of them offer specialized services for HIV and PrEP.
Addressing the unique needs of HIV patients: Thousands of Walgreens specialty and retail pharmacists have undergone in-depth training around HIV treatment and prevention.
Expanding access to HIV testing and information: Since 2011, Walgreens has worked with Greater Than HIV, a public information initiative of the Kaiser Family Foundation, and hundreds of community organizations to offer nearly 77,000 accessible, free and confidential HIV tests on National HIV Testing Day.
