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| Nashville Kroger offers Drive-thru Flu Shot Clinic: Rants and Musings of a Retail Pharmacist |
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by The Redheaded Pharmacist - September 7, 2011
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Provided by The Redheaded Pharmacist
I joked about it a couple of years ago. When discussing some changes to our flu shot administration process at work with some co-workers a few flu seasons ago I threw in the smart remark that “if they can find a way to do it we will be giving flu shots through the drive-thru window” referring to my bosses. It wasn’t meant to be a serious comment and it was more of a jab at the whole concept of a drive-thru window in a pharmacy in general. Kind of like the time I asked a drive-thru customer if they wanted to try an apple pie for just $1 with their prescription order as a joke. Sometimes, you just have to make fun of yourself and your situation at work. And yet, here we are in a strange world where anything can and does happen in real life. And a drive-thru flu shot clinic actually will happen soon at a Kroger pharmacy location in Nashville, TN.
The story is from WKRN-TV Nashville. The article explains that one Nashville area Kroger will offer a flu shot clinic this coming Wednesday from 10am-7pm at their Monroe Street location where customers can get a flu shot without leaving their vehicles. The local Kroger apparently wanted to do something different to separate themselves from other pharmacies and maybe get some publicity. Consider it done. The resulting idea will be a day long drive-thru flu shot clinic that even includes an available blood glucose test for any patient interested. If you’re in the Nashville area on Wednesday you can get a vaccine from the comfort of your own vehicle and even have your insurance billed. What a country huh?
I wasn’t going to post anything other than a quick Happy Labor Day post today. I was going to enjoy my day off and prepare myself for my workweek starting Tuesday. But after reading this article online from WKRN’s website I couldn’t resist sharing the brief story with the rest of you. I don’t know the details of the clinic and didn’t bother calling the participating Kroger pharmacy to find out more about this clinic day but I think this is officially the beginning of the end for retail pharmacy. Seriously, have you ever seen a doctor offer a drive-thru breast examination or allergy test? Only the profession of pharmacy, often equated with fast food anyway because of our business model, could reduce itself to offering the one semi-professional service we actually offer right now through a drive-thru window.
Sure, this is probably just a publicity stunt by a local Nashville Kroger that wanted to be different. It isn’t like an entire chain decided to offer flu shots through a drive-thru. But still, what does this say about the direction of our profession if this kind of idea is done even on the singular pharmacy level? Better question: what does this say about our society if people aren’t even willing to get out of their cars for a vaccination? I’m thinking it demonstrates how lazy and spoiled we’ve collectively become now!
Maybe I’m reading too much into a fun little story that you can share at work this week where at least one of your co-workers won’t believe you? Maybe this isn’t a sign that retail pharmacy is deteriorating faster than I originally thought? Or maybe this is the perfect indication that we have no perception of professionalism left among the general public and more bad news is on the horizon? What do you think? Is this a dumb little story? A sad example of the current state of community pharmacy? A ploy by one Nashville pharmacy to attract attention to itself? Or maybe something else perhaps? Have a Happy Labor Day everyone and feel free to weigh in and let me know what you think of this story. I’m curious to know what others have to say about this. Personally, I can’t believe it is true. And then again I can believe it sadly enough. All I can say is only in America!
The Redheaded Pharmacist
The Redheaded Pharmacist has been working full time in retail pharmacy for more than a decade. He is in his mid 30s, and, yes, he has red hair.
Disclaimer: This blog represents the opinions of the author and the author alone. It does not represent any pharmacy group or organization. I also will leave out or change the names of patients/customers to protect their privacy and comply with government regulations regarding patient privacy rights and personal information.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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| Clay (Los Angeles) |
on 07 Sep 2011 at 5:14 pm |
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| If you think that a drive-thru flu shot is "the beginning of the end" for pharmacy, then you have WAY more patience than I do. I'd say the "end" began when pharmacies started doing electronic billing instead of having the customers/patients pay their own bills. |
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