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Additional Seasonal Flu Vaccine Now Available at Take Care Clinics Nationwide

Take Care Clinics are walk-in clinics open seven days a week, including evenings and weekends. Seasonal flu vaccine is $24.99 for cash paying patients and is often covered by insurance. Patients are encouraged to check with their insurance provider for coverage details. To get up–to-date information on vaccine availability, patients should visit www.takecarehealth.com or call 1-866-Take-Care (1-866-825-3227).

In addition to seasonal flu vaccine, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Take Care Clinics can administer the PPV (Pneumonia) vaccine to adults who are 65 years of age and older. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the PPV vaccine for this age group, citing secondary bacterial pneumonia as a frequent cause of illness and death during each of the influenza pandemics of the 20^th century (http://www.cdc.gov/).

"There continues to be widespread attention on the H1N1 virus, but it is not too late for individuals and families to protect themselves from seasonal flu strains by getting a seasonal flu vaccination," said Sandra F. Ryan, RN, MSN, CPNP, FAANP and Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer for Take Care Health Systems. "Take Care Health professionals began offering seasonal flu vaccine in September this year, one month earlier than normal, and patients have responded, looking to Take Care Clinics as a high-quality, accessible health care resource in the communities where they live and work."

Since beginning this season's flu shot administration, Take Care Clinics have administered more than 380,000 doses of seasonal flu vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine helps protect patients against three common strains of the flu virus. It does not offer protection against the 2009 H1N1 flu.

H1N1 Vaccine and Flu Mist Availability

Distribution of H1N1 vaccine and H1N1 FluMist is managed by state and local health departments. Take Care Health Systems is working collaboratively with health authorities and has registered all Take Care Clinics as vaccine administration sites. To date, a select number of clinics have received very limited quantities of the vaccine and FluMist. Take Care Clinics are administering supply to high-risk patients as directed by the CDC and government health authorities, or any applicable state or county regulations. For the most up-to-date information on H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccine availability at Take Care Clinics, patients should visit www.takecarehealth.com or call 1-866-Take-Care (1-866-825-3227).

Take Care Clinics are walk-in, professional health care centers located at select Walgreens drugstores across the country. Board-certified family nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses and are licensed to write prescriptions when necessary that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice.

About Take Care Health Systems

Take Care Health Systems (http://www.takecarehealthsystem.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) and part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division, is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and convenient care clinics in the country. TCHS is comprised of Take Care Consumer Solutions (www.takecarehealth.com) and Take Care Health Employer Solutions (www.takecareemployersolutions.com). Take Care Consumer Solutions manages Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores throughout the country. Patient care at each of the Take Care Clinics is provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market. Take Care Health Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness, occupational health, pharmacy and fitness centers at large employer campuses. Combined, Take Care Health Systems manages more than 700 worksite and retail health care centers.

Take Care Health Systems
Gabe Weissman, 484-351-3040
gabriel.weissman@takecarehealth.com