Vote & vax and community pharmacies: Promoting election day flu clinics

Background: In the November 2012 presidential election, approximately 130 million Americans voted. Among those were thousands at risk for influenza, particularly elderly citizens who comprise a large percentage of voter turnout. Vote & Vax is a national project committed to protecting Americans from influenza. For the November 2012 election, a national retail pharmacy chain partnered with Vote & Vax to administer influenza vaccinations in polling places. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Vote & Vax program on the rate of influenza vaccinations in pharmacy patients. Methods: Walgreens, in partnership with Vote & Vax, administered influenza vaccinations at 287 locations during the November 2012 election. Vaccine volume for Vote & Vax clinic sites were examined on the November 6, 2012 Election Day, compared to non-Vote & Vax locations. For those locations, vaccination rates were calculated as the number of patients receiving an influenza vaccine per 1,000 pharmacy patients filling a prescription at Walgreens. Z-tests were used to compare the percent difference. Results: The rate of influenza vaccination on Election Day was 32.7% higher in Vote & Vax locations (47.3 per 1,000 pharmacy patients) compared to 35.6 in non-Vote & Vax pharmacies (p<0.001). Patients receiving influenza vaccinations were 60.2% female and mean age was 55.8 years. Conclusion: Expanding access and convenience to immunization services in polling places can increase the rate of influenza vaccination among pharmacy patients, especially among older voters. The program demonstrates how community pharmacies can collaborate with state and local health departments to serve as health care providers.