Rite Aid focuses on vaccinating eligible educators, childcare providers

With the Department of Health and Human Services emphasizing the vaccination of educators and those who work with children, Rite Aid has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to pre-K to high school educators. School staff and licensed childcare program staff also are now eligible for a vaccine. 

To ensure that as many educators and childcare professionals as possible are vaccinated in March, certain Rite Aid vaccine appointments will be available exclusively to these groups on March 11 and 12. All otherwise eligible people will be able to schedule appointments beginning March 13. Rite Aid’s scheduling tool, built to schedule appointments in the seven states and two jurisdiction where the retailer is administering vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, has been updated to include eligibility for educators and childcare workers. 

“Teachers and school employees are cornerstones of our communities, and we truly appreciate all the hard work and dedication they continue to put into educating our children as we battle this pandemic,” said Jim Peters, Rite Aid COO. “In support of the HHS directive for provider partners to prioritize the vaccination of educators, school staff and licensed childcare staff, we are proud to do our part in protecting school communities and returning educators, staff and students safely back into classrooms. In-person learning is a critical step forward to help address mental health concerns and educational disparities for our most disadvantaged and vulnerable students. We continue to embrace our role in helping end the pandemic.”

Rite Aid said it also is working to schedule clinics outside of its online scheduler through community and government partnerships, as well as a toll-free phone number in certain markets that addresses the needs of those without internet. It also said it is working to remove more restrictive eligibility criteria that limits its ability to vaccinate patients in certain states and jurisdictions.