The Adult Immunization Program began in the summer of 2000 with 60 pharmacists in the Midwest. Each year since, the immunization program has grown exponentially. The SUPERVALU Pharmacies Adult Immunization Program provides patients with convenient ways to receive protection from the following vaccine-preventable diseases: influenza, pneumococcal disease, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal meningitis. In five short years, our immunizing pharmacists have administered over 500,000 flu shots, 10,000 pneumococcal shots, 2,000 Td shots, 500 meningococcal shots and hundreds of hepatitis A and B shots.

In order to participate in our Adult Immunization Program, each pharmacist must be specially trained by attending an immunization certificate program. Various immunization training programs are available and offered through state organizations, schools of pharmacy and national organizations. For those who need training, we offer the American Pharmacists Association’s Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery – A National Certificate Program for Pharmacists. Our specially trained pharmacists serve as faculty to teach the APhA program to our pharmacists.

Training consists of self-study which is completed prior to attending a live training seminar. Training also covers marketing and reimbursement “how-to’s,” vaccine administration training, documentation and recordkeeping techniques, problem-solving and patient-care strategies, case studies and pharmacist-specific examples. The self-study and the live training seminar provide participants with a combined 20 hours of continuing education.

Once a pharmacist successfully completes the training program, he/she attends an immunization orientation, which covers all of the policies and procedures of the Adult Immunization Program and CPR certification. The immunizing pharmacist learns how to offer vaccinations to customers by one of the following three methods: by appointment, operating a flu shot clinic and on a walk-in basis. In addition, the pharmacist learns how to handle anaphylactic reactions, how to report adverse events, bill Medicare Part B and other third-party plans, what to keep on file, OSHA and blood-borne pathogen exposure control – plus they receive extra practice time in administering vaccinations.

In 2007, we will be implementing travel vaccine clinics in several of our markets. At these locations, the immunizing pharmacist will play a key role in preparing customers for international travel.

Each year, the Adult Immunization Program continues to grow. Our goal is to have at least one immunizing pharmacist in each of our stores in states that allow immunizations administered by pharmacists with collaborative agreements.