PACE vaccine partnership with Walmart has benefited older adults
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging announced that its PACE prescription assistance program, working together with Walmart, has helped more than 25,000 older Pennsylvanians get a vaccination appointment.
The PACE/Walmart Vaccine Partnership over the past several weeks has resulted in 77 clinics in 11 counties, with the PACE Call Center making more than 25,000 appointments for individuals from its lists of older adults who have either requested a vaccine appointment or have been identified as eligible for one.
“We have two goals as we administer vaccines: first, to get as many shots in arms as possible so we can help reopen our country, and second, helping to ensure equitable vaccine access in the states we serve,” said Nick Infante, Walmart’s vice president of public affairs. “In Pennsylvania, we have been pleased to partner with PACE to target and pre-enroll vulnerable older adults for their vaccine, and we will continue finding new ways to increase vaccination access across our communities.”
As part of the federal pharmacy partnership with Walmart, Walmart reached out to the Department of
Aging’s PACE program for help with getting vaccine into the arms of the most vulnerable older adults.
PACE, Pennsylvania’s prescription assistance program for older adults, prioritized assistance with vaccine appointments for PACE/PACENET enrollees, who number about 275,000 statewide.
The PACE program partnered with Walmart on its vaccine clinics by pre-enrolling some of the most vulnerable older adults for a vaccine at the clinic locations. PACE also pre-enrolled older adults served by local Area Agency on Aging programs and helped older adults who called the PA Link to Aging and Disability Resources looking for assistance.
Aging Secretary Robert Torres praised Walmart and PACE’s focused partnership effort, noting that the progress made was responsive to the needs of older, lower-income adults from the geographic areas where the clinics were held. These actions helped to address the calls by advocates, legislators and the public to support older adults who struggled to obtain vaccines for themselves.
“We want to thank Walmart for the excellent support they’ve provided in making COVID-19 vaccine available to older adults in Pennsylvania communities,” Torres said. “The partnership efforts with PACE have enabled us to target the vulnerable older adults who most need to be vaccinated. Their efforts are sincerely appreciated by our department and the older adults we’ve had the opportunity to serve.”
Clinics were conducted at community sites in Berks, Butler, Centre, Chester, Erie, Fayette, Indiana, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Westmoreland and York counties. Walmart has administered about 400 vaccines to older adults per day at each site.