Walgreens and Faith for Black Lives Launch 10-State Effort Aimed at Vaccinating the Nation’s Youth
December 17 2021 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Campaign casts churches as conduits for
encouraging COVID-19 vaccination for children and families and
combatting vaccine hesitancy among young adults
With the fight against COVID-19 far from over, Walgreens and
Harlem New York-based initiative for civic engagement, Faith for
Black Lives, have come together to call upon churches to be
community bullhorns for combatting persistent vaccine hesitancy and
to drive the importance of COVID vaccination for children and young
adults. ‘Shots for Tots’ combines Walgreens on-site vaccination
clinics and vaccine literacy with programs happening at
participating churches. The effort kicks-off Dec. 18 and will
continue in the coming weeks, with clinics to be held across 10
states.
“We are grateful to Walgreens for the opportunity to expand
access to COVID-19 vaccinations for children and families
throughout the nation by hosting community-based vaccination
clinics with our partnering faith communities,” said Rev. Stephen
A. Green, founder, Faith for Black Lives, and senior pastor, St.
Luke AME Church, in the village of Harlem, New York. “This
campaign, launching this Holiday season, will continue throughout
the upcoming year to increase vaccinations among young people and
communities of color.”
Green says the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has been a
centerpiece issue for activism in churches, especially in
underserved rural and urban communities where vaccine rates are low
and vaccine hesitancy is often high. According to recent data from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1, uptake of COVID
vaccination remains lowest among Black Americans, compared to
Whites and Hispanics, large in part due to misinformation about the
effects of COVID vaccines.
The Walgreens and Faith for Black Lives Shots for Tots effort
focuses on tackling hesitancy all while encouraging families to
seek primary vaccinations for adult family members and eligible
children, as well as booster doses for eligible adults and teens,
at their nearest Walgreens. And, just in time for the holidays,
many of this weekend’s clinics will also include toy drives for
families in need this winter season.
“Churches, organizations like Faith for Black Lives and leaders
like Rev. Green are vitally important to helping ensure the vaccine
reaches under-represented and often hard-to-reach populations,”
said Carlos Cubia, SVP and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance. “Walgreens is grateful for
their partnership, as we know that our success reaching patients in
medically underserved areas is reliant upon the trusted role of
faith leaders and communities.”
Churches interested in participating can visit
faithforblacklives.com for more information. To schedule a
Walgreens vaccination appointment, individuals are highly
encouraged to use the Walgreens app or to visit
Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine to secure an appointment in advance.
When scheduling, individuals will be asked to verify eligibility
and, if applicable (for second appointments and/or booster doses),
they’ll be asked to provide the manufacturer and date of their last
COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit
Walgreens.com/covidvaccine.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is included in the United States
segment of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), an
integrated pharmacy, healthcare and retail leader serving millions
of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of
caring for communities. As America’s most loved pharmacy, health
and beauty company, Walgreens purpose is to champion the health and
well-being of every community in America. Operating nearly 9,000
retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands, Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health destination
serving approximately 9 million customers each day. Walgreens
pharmacists play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system by
providing a wide range of pharmacy and healthcare services. To best
meet the needs of customers and patients, Walgreens offers a true
omnichannel experience, with fully integrated physical and digital
platforms, supported by the latest technology to deliver
high-quality products and services in local communities
nationwide.
About Faith for Black Lives
Faith for Black Lives is a coalition of faith leaders committed
to building beloved communities through radical love in action. Our
mission is to advance an affirmative vision for systemic equality
through grassroots organizing, leadership convenings, and
issue-based advocacy.
_______________________________
[1]
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/latest-data-on-covid-19-vaccinations-by-race-ethnicity/
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Kris Lathan kris.lathan@walgreens.com
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