Walgreens partners with U.S. health agencies to combat heart disease

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday announced the kick-off of the Million Hearts Initiative, a public and private sector initiative to help prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over five years.

Walgreens will engage its more than 26,000 healthcare providers to support the Million Hearts prevention goal by providing blood-pressure testing, at no charge, in consultation with a Walgreens pharmacist or Take Care Health provider. In addition, Walgreens also plans to promote diabetes health testing in November and heart health in February, and make Million Hearts resources available at its 7,760 drug stores nationwide.

"We are pleased to partner with HHS, the CDC and CMS to help patients learn to live healthier lives while providing quality, accessible care," stated Kermit Crawford, Walgreens president of pharmacy, health and wellness. "Participation in this campaign is another example of the opportunity our pharmacists and Take Care Health providers have to drive positive health outcomes through their face-to-face interactions with patients."

For more information about the Million Hearts Initiative and its partners, visit Millionhearts.hhs.gov.