What Joining Forces with Your Community for Flu Clinics Can Do for Your Pharmacy

Here we go! Cold and Flu Season is HERE. After securing your stock of flu vaccinations, we know you are ready to protect your patients from influenza, COVID, etc. However, it is critical to set your store up for success in delivering vaccinations to your community and proactive outreach is key.

Making Vaccination Clinics Work for Your Store

Your pharmacy is already positioned to be a beacon of community health. Take your community health influence to a whole new level. To make vaccinations profitable for your store you need to proactively reach out to assisted living facilities, municipalities, fitness centers, libraries, schools, and businesses and offer to host flu and COVID vaccination clinics for them. Whether it is you or an outgoing, motivated member of your staff, make vaccine clinic outreach calls a priority task. Remember that while you are giving vaccinations, this is an important time to ask potential new patients about their medications and where they are getting them filled.

Empower Your Team to Support Vaccinations

Early this year, in our blog “Staying Ahead of the Curve: Be Prepared for Flu Season” IPC’s Director of Pharmacy Services and author, Samantha Pomeroy, reminds pharmacies to meet with your staff, review and provide training. Samantha recommends briefing your team around the following areas:

• Review Vaccination Protocols for your state.
• Make sure you and your staff are aware of local insurance and government plans that reimburse for flu vaccination and how t
• Remind your staff of the vaccinations you offer and encourage them to ask store visitors about their vaccinations.
• Review and establish routines for vaccination handling and storage protocols with your team.
• Take Action to Promote Vaccination Services NOW

Vaccination Promotion

Take advantage of every opportunity to spread awareness of your vaccination services this fall.

• Update your telephone on-hold message to encourage patients to get updated to date on their vaccinations.
• Print out this McKesson Patient Engagement Vaccination flyer and place it near your counter and use bag stuffers.
• Send out an email to your patients reminding them to get their flu vaccination in your pharmacy during their next store visit.
• Utilize social media posts to drive your patients to participate and help boost your vaccination program. Reference our Oak Ridge Pharmacy social media post example, shown right.
• Get our Member-Only Exclusive ebook download: Tools You Can Use, Making Vaccinations Profitable for Your Pharmacy Promotional Plan. 

Empower Patients to Schedule Their Own Vaccinations

Save your patients and staff extra steps by providing an online scheduling platform. Make it easy, include a simple link and instructions for patients to book a time for their vaccination.

More Vaccination Support Resources from IPC

Our Pharmacy Services team is also here to help you make the most of your vaccination program. If you have questions about how to make vaccines a larger part of your pharmacy sales this fall, please email [email protected].

In closing, thank you for doing all you do to help keep your communities well this cold and flu season. Continue your efforts to stay ahead of the curve this fall.