October 8, 2015 -- The American College of Physicians (ACP) and its Louisiana Chapter have teamed up with Walgreens and the Healthcare Services Division of Louisiana State University (LSU) to help increase influenza vaccination rates for people in need in Louisiana, as part of ACP's I Raise the Rates program.
Walgreens has generously donated 1,000 influenza vouchers that can be redeemed at any Walgreens pharmacy location in Louisiana to assist participating physicians in vaccinating patients who may not have insurance coverage for the flu shot.
"The donation from Walgreens will really help the I Raise the Rates program participants to protect their patients from seasonal flu and keep them healthy," said William Davis, MD, Governor, ACP Louisiana Chapter.
ACP's I Raise the Rates program provides tools and support to physicians and other health care providers to assist them increasing the adult immunization rates of patients in their care. Over the course of the next year, health care providers throughout Louisiana will receive training on immunizations, implement programs in their offices and institutions, and communicate with employers, health insurers, and the public about the importance of adult immunizations. To learn more about I Raise the Rates: Louisiana or to join the campaign, please contact Angie Duck at angieduck4@gmail.com.
"We're pleased to work with two great organizations in ACP and LSU to help provide greater access to flu vaccine for Louisiana residents who need it," said Rob Braley, Regional Healthcare Director, Walgreens. "We've provided more than $40 million worth of vouchers to uninsured and underinsured Americans nationwide since this program's inception. And we're proud of the impact it continues to make in improving immunization rates for flu to better protect the communities we serve throughout the season."
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About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest
medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician
group in the United States. ACP members include 143,000 internal
medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and
medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who
apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis,
treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum
from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.
About Walgreens
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 sales of
$72 billion, Walgreens vision is to be the first choice for health
and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. Each day,
Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most
convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and
trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and
advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and
mail service, along with respiratory services. These services
improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including
employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy
benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,217
drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a
Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive
manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store
convenient care clinics, with more than 750 locations throughout
the country.
LSU Healthcare Services Division
The Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division (LSU
HCSD), a division of LSU Health, is jointly based on the Baton
Rouge and New Orleans LSU campuses. LSU HCSD is an academic
healthcare organization that operates Lallie Kemp Medical Center,
an integrated public safety-net hospital and clinic system in
Independence LA, and supports accountable care services in
collaboration with its public-private partners that operate the
other LSU hospitals. LSU HCSD's Center for Healthcare Effectiveness
studies and leverages the use of clinical data for population
health, disease management, and the application of the next
generation informatics and analytics, with the goal of delivering
better, smarter healthcare for the citizens of Louisiana.
Media Contact: Steve Majewski at smajewski@acponline.org or 215-351-2415