Blue Shield of California and Walgreens Health Unveil New Health Advisory Service Offering Personalized, Affordable Care

Innovative approach expands access to care management and coordination for Californians through in-store and virtual resources

OAKLAND, Calif. and DEERFIELD, Ill., April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California and Walgreens Health are expanding access to in-person and virtual care options through the launch of 12 new Walgreens Health Corner™ locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County.

Walgreens Health Corner locations offer individuals an integrated health care experience with access to Health Advisors, qualified personnel with clinical backgrounds such as pharmacists and registered nurses, for in-store health counsel, as well as support and services on the Walgreens Health Corner app.

Services offered at Walgreens Health Corner locations range from preventive care and wellness checks to assistance with managing chronic conditions. The services include:

• Counseling from Health Advisors on general health questions.
• Select health screenings, such as blood pressure checks and HbA1c tests.
• Answering questions about prescription and over-the-counter medications.
• Scheduling mammography appointments.
• Providing test kits for colorectal cancer screenings
• Assistance with technology needs – digital health applications and medical devices.

"Walgreens has a strong community presence throughout the state and together we are offering new ways for Blue Shield members to meet their health care needs and improve their overall health," said D.D. Johnice, vice president of the Health Transformation Lab at Blue Shield of California. "We are thrilled to make these resources available closer to home and to offer more satisfying and convenient support to our members and their families."

The services are available at no additional cost to members enrolled in Blue Shield's commercial PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plans, who live within 20 miles of a Walgreens Health Corner location. There are currently 12 Walgreens Health Corner locations available in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, and an additional eight are planned by the middle of this year. For a list of Health Corner locations, please visit Walgreens.com/BlueShieldCA.

"Our Health Corner collaboration with Blue Shield will allow its eligible members and our customers to receive access to health and wellness products and services from Health Advisors whenever and wherever it's most convenient for them," said John Do, interim president and chief financial officer of Walgreens Health. "This offering, alongside Walgreens Health strategic investments, is another example of how we are working to support patients and help them get and stay healthy across the entire care continuum."

The initiative is designed to reduce care gaps and improve care management and coordination by providing access to more affordable and convenient services in the communities where Blue Shield members live. The effort is part of the innovative, personalized, and tech-enabled care envisioned in Blue Shield's Health Reimagined strategy.

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.5 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $192 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last five years to have an impact on California communities.  

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.  

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About Walgreens Boots Alliance
Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) is an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader serving millions of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities.

A trusted, global innovator in retail pharmacy with approximately 13,000 locations across the U.S., Europe and Latin America, WBA plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem. The company is reimagining local healthcare and well-being for all as part of its purpose – to create more joyful lives through better health. Through dispensing medicines, improving access to a wide range of health services, providing high-quality health and beauty products and offering anytime, anywhere convenience across its digital platforms, WBA is shaping the future of healthcare.

WBA has more than 315,000 team members and a presence in nine countries through its portfolio of consumer brands: Walgreens, Boots, Duane Reade, the No7 Beauty Company, Benavides in Mexico and Ahumada in Chile. Additionally, WBA has a portfolio of healthcare-focused investments located in several countries, including China and the U.S.

The company is proud of its contributions to healthy communities, a healthy planet, an inclusive workplace and a sustainable marketplace. WBA has been recognized for its commitment to operating sustainably: it is an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and was named to the 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2021.

More company information is available at www.walgreensbootsalliance.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. All statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to the timing and effectiveness of collaboration plans and implementation, the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the strategic partnership, competitive actions in the marketplace, and the ability to achieve anticipated financial and operating results in the amounts and at the times anticipated, as well as those described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.'s Form 10-K for its fiscal year ending August 31, 2020 and in other documents that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. files or furnishes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Each of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. and Walgreens do not undertake, and expressly disclaim, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

SOURCE Blue Shield of California