NACDS’ Anderson outlines importance of flu shots to U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The strong local connections of pharmacies, pharmacists, chambers of commerce, and associations throughout the country can and must play an important role in raising awareness in communities across the nation of the critical importance of flu vaccinations this year. That was the message that National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson took to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program this week to urge strategies for preventing a two-front war with flu and COVID-19, to keep Americans healthy, and to empower the reopening of the economy and job-creation.

Anderson engaged in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program held on Thursday, Oct. 29, that included representatives of the organization’s 400 Federation Partners, including state, metro and local chambers and business trade associations. Anderson was interviewed by Carolyn Cawley, president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and senior vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as part of the program, titled “No Crystal Ball Needed: Keeping America Safe and Open.”

“Local leaders and local messengers are critically important in communicating vital public health messages,” Anderson said. “The trust of pharmacies, pharmacists, chambers of commerce, associations and businesses will make a big difference in conveying the importance of flu vaccinations in communities across America. The engagement and leadership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in this cause is greatly appreciated.”

NACDS’ engagement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week follows last week’s U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation event that featured Meijer pharmacist Heather Schultz from Saginaw, Mich. Schultz described the importance of flu vaccinations and the trust and accessibility of pharmacists and pharmacies in the latest edition of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Path Forward series. Rick Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer, serves as chair of NACDS.

Anderson and Schultz urged the audiences of the programs in which they participated to use NACDS’ Flu-Vaccination Communications toolkit. The toolkit includes video ads and other resources. More than 80 organizations – including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation – have committed to collaborating with NACDS’ flu-vaccination communications campaign. In addition, NACDS’ TV and radio interviews about the importance of flu vaccinations have reached all 210 of the nation’s media markets.