DEERFIELD, Ill., September 02, 2015 - Over the last two years, Walgreens has helped to provide 7 million life-saving vaccines to children in developing countries through the Get a Shot. Give a Shot® campaign, and its growing collaboration with the United Nations Foundation. Today, Get a Shot. Give a Shot kicks off its third and most comprehensive campaign, with Walgreens pledging to help provide a life-saving vaccine for every immunization administered at a Walgreens pharmacy, Healthcare Clinic or Duane Reade pharmacy between now and Aug. 31, 20161.
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Donations will be made through the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, a movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are most needed through the UN and other partners.
“Get a Shot. Give a Shot demonstrates the important role our customers can play, and how a flu shot or other immunization can truly make a world of difference,” said Alex Gourlay, Walgreens president. “We’re extremely proud of the global impact the program has made. And as we expand our relationship with the UN Foundation, our objective is to also increase our donation over last season to help provide more life-saving vaccines to children who need them most.”
Statistics show 1 in 5 children worldwide lack access to life-saving immunizations, and a child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine-preventable disease2. Coordinated worldwide vaccination efforts have made significant progress, particularly reducing cases of measles and polio.
"Vaccines protect and improve the lives of millions of children in developing countries each year,” said Kathy Calvin, president and chief executive officer of the UN Foundation. “The prevention of measles deaths has been the single largest contributor to reducing childhood deaths over the last decade and we are now so close to ending polio. By expanding our partnership with Walgreens, we can support UN efforts to help children access these life-saving vaccines around the globe.”
#giveashot Social Campaign
Customers and patients getting their flu shot at any of Walgreens points of care are being encouraged to share the moment through their social networks to help spread the word about the Get a Shot. Give a Shot campaign. People are asked to take and share “selfies” displaying their red bandage, using the hashtag #giveashot through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. On Fridays through mid-November, Walgreens will select the best images to appear in a share-back video, which will be posted via the company’s social channels on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information on Get a Shot. Give a Shot visit www.walgreens.com/getashot.
Walgreens locations in most states offer a wide range of 17 CDC-recommended vaccines, including those to protect against shingles, pneumonia, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, hepatitis and other diseases, although vaccine regulations vary by state. Vaccinations are available during all pharmacy and clinic hours, including nights, overnights at 24-hour pharmacy locations, weekends and holidays*, with no appointment necessary.
Age restrictions vary by state at Walgreens pharmacies, while Healthcare Clinics can provide immunizations for patients age 2 and older.
The UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign partners with many organizations and corporations to broaden American support for childhood immunizations in developing countries against diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. Together, these partners are working with Shot@Life to benefit UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other implementing partners to save lives and improve the health of millions of children around the world through life-saving vaccines.
About United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com), the nation's largest drugstore chain, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. More than 8 million customers interact with Walgreens each day in communities across America, using the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice. Walgreens operates 8,240 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Walgreens digital business includes Walgreens.com, drugstore.com, Beauty.com, SkinStore.com and VisionDirect.com. Walgreens also manages more than 400 Healthcare Clinic and provider practice locations around the country.
* While immunizing health professional is on duty. Subject to availability. State, age and health-related restrictions apply. See pharmacy for details.
1 From July 1, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2016 for every immunization administered, Walgreens will donate $0.18 to the United Nations Foundation, up to a maximum donation of $2,000,000.
2 UN Foundation Shot@Life
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Walgreens
Jim Cohn, (847) 315-2950
http://news.walgreens.com
or
United Nations Foundation
Andrea Sok, (202) 864-5140