Kroger hiring workers to administer vaccines
Kroger Michigan is gearing up for its COVIDvaccine rollout by hiring hundreds of new workers to prepare for the process, including at all 15 of its stores in Macomb County.
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of the Kroger Co., last week said it will provide the coronavirus vaccine at its 2,200 pharmacies nationwide and 103 stores in Michigan.
The Cincinnati-based grocer has partnered with the federal government and state health departments to administer the vaccine in the coming weeks.
“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,” Colleen Lindholz, Kroger Health’s president, said in a statement.
“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.”
Two vaccines — Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna — have been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Kroger Health is hiring nearly 1,000 healthcare personnel, including pharmacy technicians, to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
Over the last few months, Kroger Health has worked 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.
Kroger Health is using a phased approach, focusing first on priority populations as defined by federal and state governments. It began to administer the drugs last week in Alaska, starting with frontline workers in Anchorage and Juneau.
Kroger continues to advocate on behalf of associates for essential workers to have priority access just as it did earlier this year to help gain access to 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,” Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger Health’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.
“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, ecommerce solutions and an efficiently operating supply chain so that our communities have access to fresh, affordable food, essentials and health care.
Watkins said he strongly encouraged all of the company’s associates and customers to get the vaccination as soon as it becomes available.
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 SARSCoV-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 apply for one of the associate positions, visit Jobs.Kroger.com.