CINCINNATI, Feb. 17, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Kroger Health, the health care division of The
Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), today announced its new vaccine scheduling
tool, making it easy and efficient to book COVID-19 vaccine
appointments online.
The new tool can manage more than 250,000 requests daily and
will reflect the amount of vaccine doses confirmed within Kroger's
system while allowing visitors to check vaccine eligibility and
create appointments as availability of the vaccine increases.
Customers will also have the ability to book appointments for both
their first and second dose at the same time. The rollout of Kroger
Health's new vaccine scheduling platform reflects the company's
commitment to the health and safety of its associates, customers
and communities and follows the company's three-pronged pandemic
health response: testing, vaccine administration and supportive
care services.
Over the last year, Kroger Health has been at the forefront of
COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts. As one of the selected
retailer pharmacies for President Biden's Federal Retail Pharmacy
Partnership, Kroger Health is dedicated to providing care to
associates and customers as well as the communities the company
serves. As of Feb. 16, 2021, Kroger
Health has administered more than 380,000 COVID-19 vaccines in 25
states to essential health care workers, skilled-nursing
facilities, elderly populations, educators and eligible associates.
Kroger Health is now receiving and administering vaccines at 1,300
of its 2,200 family of pharmacies. If all pharmacy locations begin
to receive doses of the vaccine, Kroger Health could administer an
average of nearly 500,000 vaccinations per week.
"Kroger Health's priority is the safety of our customers,
associates and communities," said Colleen
Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. "Thanks to our
incredible team of health professionals and technology experts,
we've been able to streamline the vaccine rollout process across
our family of pharmacies during these ever-changing times. As more
vaccines become available nationwide, our pharmacies and clinics
will be ready and able to administer thousands of doses to our
communities every day. Our new online scheduling tool and improved
call center experience will allow us to easily scale to meet demand
once more vaccine doses are available to Kroger Health."
In addition to its newly released scheduling tool, Kroger Health
has also invested in the following initiatives to streamline and
encourage vaccination:
- Vaccine Support Call Center: Concurrent with its
scheduling tool rollout, Kroger Health's COVID-19 vaccine support
call center has partnered with IBM Watson to create an AI-powered
seamless phone experience for patients. Watson will share answers
to frequently asked questions and reduce the wait time for
patients, making appointments by transferring them to a care
representative as needed. Customers can contact 866-211-5320 to
reach the dedicated support line and learn more about location and
vaccine availability.
- Scheduling Platform Security: Alongside Kroger Health's
new scheduling tool, Kroger's technology and digital team has
implemented advanced security measures to deter bot activity within
the platform, ensuring maximum appointment availability.
- Kroger Associate Vaccine Payment: Earlier this month,
the Kroger Family of Companies announced it would provide a
one-time payment of $100 to all
associates who receive the full manufacturer-recommended doses of
the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Everyone who is eligible should make it a priority to schedule
their COVID-19 vaccination appointment," said Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger's chief medical officer.
"We know that the science behind the vaccines is sound, and we
encourage everyone in our communities to use our online tools and
call center to make an appointment to protect themselves and their
loved ones from COVID-19."
Last December, Kroger Health committed to hiring 1,000 health
care personnel, including pharmacy technicians, to support
operations and the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kroger
Health has hired a sizable number of associates but needs remain
for additional health care personnel. To view available
opportunities, visit jobs.kroger.com.
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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,
vaccination and wellness services to help Americans combat the
COVID-19 crisis. Learn more at Kroger.com/CovidCare.
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.