Blue Shield of California, Walgreens Collaborate to Bring Innovative Healthcare and Wellness Services to Communities in Golden State

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Healthcare leaders to design personalized in-store experiences for consumers to drive better health outcomes, equitable access, and lower costs

News provided by

Blue Shield of California

Sep 10, 2021, 11:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California and Walgreens today announced a new collaboration to expand access to health care, lower costs, and bring innovative services to enhance the consumer experience for individuals, families, and communities throughout California.

The initial phase of the collaboration will center on Walgreens Health Corner™ services – a personalized experience for Blue Shield commercial members to improve their health outcomes. The Health Corner locations will include health advisors – pharmacists, dieticians, or nurses – to inform and assist with health, nutrition, fitness, and disease management care coordination for either real-time or future care.

The healthcare services will focus on condition management and whole-person care. At launch, Blue Shield members in eligible plans will have access to blood pressure screenings, administration of A1C blood tests, and mammography care coordination. They will also be able to pick up take-home health screening tests with in-person assistance from health advisors for instruction on how to use and complete the kits, as well as support to locate new health and wellness products. Health advisors will also be present to help members set up their digital health applications on their mobile devices.

The program's first phase will begin in late 2021 with the goal to expand Blue Shield's service offerings to help close care gaps for members in Walgreens stores, virtually, and at home, in early 2022.

"We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with Walgreens because of our shared goal to reimagine health care," said Peter Long, executive vice president of Strategy and Health Solutions at Blue Shield of California. "Together, we are transforming health care by launching innovative, high-touch, personalized, and holistic solutions for members and Californians with the ultimate goal of providing enhanced access to care that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable."

"Walgreens is excited to join forces with Blue Shield of California for this community health effort," said Vish Sankaran, Walgreens Boots Alliance chief innovation officer. "Blue Shield has a long-standing history of transforming health care for their members and beyond. By leveraging our trusted retail pharmacy locations, deep healthcare experience, and community relationships, together we are uniquely positioned to bridge gaps in care for many Californians to create a more seamless and convenient consumer experience."

At Blue Shield, this is the latest example of the nonprofit health plan's Health Reimagined strategy, the company's ambitious effort to transform health care for individuals, families, and communities. Health Reimagined tests, pilots, and scales innovations to improve equitable access to high-quality, whole-person care through diverse collaborations with other leaders in health care, technology, and community-based organizations.

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 $150 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last four 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
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is included in the United States segment of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), a global leader in retail pharmacy. As America's most loved pharmacy, health and beauty company, Walgreens' purpose is to champion the health and wellbeing of every community in America. Operating more than 9,000 retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health destination serving approximately 8 million customers each day. Walgreens pharmacists play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system by providing a wide range of pharmacy and healthcare services. To best meet the needs of customers and patients, Walgreens offers a true omnichannel experience, with platforms bringing together physical and digital, supported by the latest technology to deliver high-quality products and services in local communities nationwide.

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.