'Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP' Provides Underserved Communities with Free Health Tests

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DEERFIELD, Ill., March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), announced the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP, a program dedicated to providing free prevention and early detection health services to some of the nation's most underserved communities. Now through December 2012, the tour will provide free tests, assessments, education and consulting services to communities located predominantly in cities with the highest prevalence for leading diseases, and highest uninsured and unemployed populations.

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The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP is another charitable component of the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment^®, a four-year, $100 million initiative to improve the everyday health of Americans nationwide. The initiative also is dedicated to providing accessible, affordable resources for prevention and early detection of chronic diseases – heart disease, cancer and diabetes.  Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the U.S., while diabetes is the nation's fastest-growing disease over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Way to Well Health Tour is partially funded by consumers who support the Walgreens wellness services mission by purchasing Walgreens brand health and wellness products.  Beginning February 1, 2012 through January 31, 2013, 1 cent from the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product, up to $3 million annually, will support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund^®.

The health tour's bundle of free health tests and risk assessments is designed to provide participants with personal health insights that may indicate symptoms and potential risks for cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  Tests include total cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, body composition, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, visceral fat, real body age and body weight.  Collectively the health tests, valued at over $100, are administered to adults age 18 years and older by certified wellness staff and can be completed in approximately 20 minutes.  Afterward, participants will consult with a Walgreens pharmacist or certified wellness staffer about his or her results.  This is a free service – insurance will not be billed.

All participants will receive a free, one-year AARP membership. Participants under the age of 50 can pass the free AARP membership on to an eligible adult, and existing members will receive a one-year extension on their current membership.

Also available with the tour are educational health and wellness resources provided by AARP as well as the Walgreens Way to Well cause partners: American Heart Association (AHA), American Cancer Society (ACS), American Diabetes Association (ADA), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

The health tour is comprised of a fleet of four customized vehicles that will simultaneously tour separate regions of the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  To learn when the Way to Well Health Tour is serving a neighborhood near you, visit www.walgreens.com/waytowell. To learn how the purchase of every Walgreens brand health and wellness product supports bringing Way to Well Commitment^® services, including the Way to Well Health Tour, to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund^®, visit www.walgreens.com/waytowell.

"Way to Well reflects our commitment to disease prevention and to improving everyday health through education and early detection," said Walgreens President and Chief Executive Officer, Greg Wasson.  "With AARP, the nationwide traveling health tour is one way we deliver on our pledge to improve lives by providing underserved communities greater access to the resources they need.  We also thank our customers for supporting this cause with us, and ultimately making this important wellness services program a reality by simply purchasing our brand."

"We are pleased that this community outreach program will serve underserved and multicultural communities in need," said A. Barry Rand, Chief Executive Officer of AARP.  "This tour will deliver critical health and wellness services on behalf of America's growing population of people over 50."

Media Contacts:
Ashley Kantro
Marketing Werks
312.784.1667
[email protected]

Jim Cohn
Walgreens
847.315.2950

David L. Allen
AARP
(202) 434-2577
[email protected]

SOURCE Walgreens; AARP