DEERFIELD, IL, March 28, 2012 — Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) and the National Urban League (NUL), today announced the launch of the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with National Urban League as a charitable component of the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment®. The national tour will provide free health resources to residents in urban and minority communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable disease. The service is free and insurance will not be billed.
The tour will also continue to highlight the Urban League’s “I Am Empowered” national service initiative, and will collaborate with Urban League affiliates to encourage members of urban and minority communities to act as their own health advocates by visiting the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with NUL, which will provide free tests, assessments, education and consulting services.
Last year, Walgreens established the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment®, a four-year, $100 million initiative to improve the everyday health of Americans nationwide. The initiative is dedicated to providing accessible, affordable resources for prevention and early detection of chronic diseases – heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death among minorities in the U.S., while diabetes is the nation’s fastest-growing disease over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The National Urban League is thrilled to partner with Walgreens for the Way to Well Health Tour for the sixth year in a row,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “As many urban and minority communities in the United States are struggling to afford rising health care costs in an uneasy economy, the free tests provided by the Way to Well Health Tour are vital to disease detection and prevention. Working together with Walgreens, we hope to educate and empower urban and minority communities to live healthier lifestyles.”
“Way to Well reflects our commitment to disease prevention and to improving everyday health through education and early detection. With the NUL, the nationwide traveling health tour is one way we deliver on our pledge to improve lives by providing underserved communities greater access to the resources they need.” said John Gremer, Walgreens director of community affairs. “We also thank our customers for supporting this cause with us, and ultimately making this important wellness services program a reality by simply purchasing our brand.”
The Way to Well Health Tour is partially funded by consumers who support the Walgreens wellness services mission by purchasing Walgreens brand health and wellness products. Beginning February 1, 2012 through January 31, 2013, 1¢ from the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product, up to $3 million annually, will support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund®.
The health tour’s bundle of free health tests and risk assessments is designed to provide participants with personal health insights that may indicate symptoms and potential risks for cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Tests include total cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, body composition, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, visceral fat, real body age and body weight. Collectively, the health tests valued at over $100, are administered to adults age 18 years and older by certified wellness staff and can be completed in approximately 20 minutes. Afterward, participants will consult with a Walgreens pharmacist or certified wellness staff about his or her results.
Also available with the tour are educational health and wellness resources provided by NUL as well as Walgreens Way to Well cause partners: American Heart Association (AHA), American Cancer Society (ACS), American Diabetes Association (ADA), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
To learn when the Way to Well Health Tour is serving a neighborhood near you, visit www.walgreens.com/waytowell. To learn how the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product supports bringing Way to Well Commitment services, including the Way to Well Health Tour, to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund®, visit www.walgreens.com/waytowell.