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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign announced Tuesday that the Walgreens Get a Shot. Give a Shot. program has helped provide 50 million life-saving vaccines to children around the world since its inception in 2013. Walgreens said it hopes to provide 50 million additional vaccines by 2023.
Through the Get a Shot. Give a Shot. program, which is currently in its seventh year, for every immunization administered at Walgreens, the company donates the value of a vaccine to the UN Foundation. During the 2019-2020 period, Walgreens will donate up to a maximum of $2.6 million.
“At Walgreens we are immensely proud of our long-standing collaboration with the UN Foundation, providing vaccines to remote areas of the world where vulnerable populations have limited access to health care,” said Alex Gourlay, president of Walgreens and co-chief operating officer of parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA). “By being a part of this coordinated worldwide vaccination effort we have helped make significant progress in reducing cases of measles and polio. This is one of the many ways that we are meeting our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
Unfortunately, one in five children around the world still lacks access to the life-saving vaccines that help keep children in the U.S. healthy. In fact, one child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could be prevented with a vaccine.
“The Get a Shot. Give a Shot. partnership saves children’s lives,” said Kathy Calvin, president and chief executive officer of the UN Foundation. “This is worth celebrating, especially as we reach the incredible milestone of donating 50 million vaccines. When businesses like Walgreens mobilize to support United Nations causes, change happens. The UN Foundation is committed to continuing our work together to protect children everywhere.”
Funds from Get a Shot. Give a Shot. are donated to Shot@Life to help support measles and polio vaccination efforts. Through the partnership, Shot@Life has provided vaccines to children in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor and Tanzania. Learn more about the impact of the program at Walgreens.com/GetaShot.
The current Get a Shot. Give a Shot. program lasts through January 31, 2020, and all immunizations administered at Walgreens during this time period are eligible for the program.
The UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign educates, connects and empowers individuals to champion global vaccines as one of the most effective ways to save the lives of children around the world. The campaign rallies members of the public, members of Congress, businesses and civil society partners to support and invest in the global childhood immunization programs of UNICEF; World Health Organization; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Through public education, grassroots advocacy and fundraising, Shot@Life strives to avert the 1.5 million annual vaccine-preventable child deaths. To learn more about the campaign, visit shotatlife.org.
Walgreens also announced on Tuesday a commitment to provide $5 million in free flu vaccinations by 2023 to help protect uninsured and underinsured people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico from influenza. This is a continuation of an existing nine-year program to partner with communities to provide free flu vaccinations. As of August 31, 2019, Walgreens customers have redeemed more than 1.6 million flu vouchers over nine years.
