CINCINNATI, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger Health,
the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), today
announced it will provide the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide across
its 2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics, partnering with the federal
government and state health departments to administer the vaccine
in accordance with the rollout plan.
"Kroger Health is a COVID-19 response leader that has provided
our patients, associates and other businesses with diagnostic
testing tools and supporting resources since the onset of this
public health crisis," said Colleen
Lindholz, Kroger Health's president. "Kroger Health's
experienced health care providers remain committed to helping our
patients and associates live healthier lives. The size and scale of
our health care operation provides us with the unique ability to
efficiently facilitate COVID-19 testing and immunize a large
portion of the U.S. population, once the authorized vaccines become
more widely available."
Over the last few months, Kroger Health has worked closely with
the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of
Defense as well as the pharmaceutical companies and other
businesses to prepare for vaccine authorization. Now that the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration has authorized two vaccines,
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, Kroger Health will support the phased
approach, focusing first on priority populations as defined by
federal and state governments. Illustratively, Kroger Health will
begin to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Anchorage and Juneau this week to health care workers in
partnership with the state of Alaska. Kroger Health is also engaged in
vaccination efforts for prioritized populations in several other
geographies.
Kroger continues to advocate on behalf of associates for
essential workers to have priority access to the vaccine in line
with the organization's efforts earlier this year to help
associates access personal protection equipment like masks and
gloves.
"As one of the most-accessible health care partners in the U.S.,
Kroger Health is prepared and ready to play an active role in
helping distribute the vaccine in collaboration with public health
officials and community partners," said Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger Health's chief medical
officer.
"Our most urgent priority throughout this pandemic has been to
protect and provide a safe environment for our associates and
patients while meeting our societal obligation to provide open
stores, e-commerce solutions and an efficiently operating supply
chain so that our communities have access to fresh, affordable
food, essentials and health care.
"We are strongly encouraging all customers and associates to
receive the vaccine to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our
communities, and we'll do all we can to ensure they have access as
soon as it's available."
Kroger Health is hiring nearly 1,000 health care personnel,
including pharmacy technicians, to support operations and the
administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kroger Health is also
committed to training current associates. To view opportunities and
apply, visit Jobs.Kroger.com.
Kroger Health has facilitated more than 250,000 COVID-19 tests
since April and in October launched rapid antibody tests to
help inform patients if they may have been previously infected with
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, expanding the
organization's existing portfolio of in-clinic and
at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Kroger Health also
continues to administer the seasonal flu vaccine. To make an
appointment, visit Kroger.com.
To download Kroger Health photography, visit here.
About Kroger Health:
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one of
America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,200
pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14
million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners -
from pharmacists and nurse practitioners, to dietitians and
technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives.
We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling
"food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. We
are dedicated to providing testing and wellness services to help
Americans combat the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more
at www.krogerhealth.com.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger
Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to
our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our
family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve
over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping
experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed
to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more
about us, visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.