How Walgreens is handling COVID-19 vaccine distribution

On Friday, some big pharmacies including Walgreens started distributing COVID-19 vaccines across the country under President Biden’s retail distribution program. Carlos Cubia, senior VP and global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss how the company is handling distribution — including within minority communities.

Video Transcript

MYLES UDLAND: Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic still raging here in the US, that we are seeing cases coming down, hospitalizations as well. But this pandemic has certainly opened up many American's eyes to the inequalities that we've seen within the health care system.

Joining us now to talk more about how corporate America is thinking about the next phase of treatment here in the US is Carlos Cubia. He is Walgreens Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. We're also joined by Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani.

Carlos, thanks so much for joining the program today. I'd love to begin with just kind of getting your thoughts on how you at Walgreens are thinking about, again, the challenges that really face the equity of American health care and I think the ways that we've all been confronted with this lack of access to vaccines, whether it's that stage, testing at the beginning, and I think ongoing COVID treatment as this situation unfolds.

CARLOS CUBIA: Sure. Well, thanks for having me. Glad to be with you here today. When we think about the vaccine in and of itself, we know that there's been health disparities in Black and Brown communities. And at Walgreens Boots Alliance, we are committed to making sure that we are reaching the underserved and underrepresented communities through education, through targeting underserved areas with our vaccines.

I mean, we've been in the vaccine game for a very long time. We know how to get to those underserved and hard-to-reach communities. And it's a commitment that we made many years ago, and I think we're well-positioned today to continue to educate and to provide the information necessary so that folks can have access to the vaccine.

BRIAN SOZZI: So Carlos, vaccines are now starting to hit some of your stores across 15 states. What protocols have you put in place to ensure that the right people are getting this vaccine?

CARLOS CUBIA: Well, as you know, the first set of vaccines that were released were dictated by the CDC, states, and local governments. So we've been working in partnership with those organizations to make sure that we are adhering to the guidelines that they set. But as we move to mass distribution, we want to make sure that we are equipped to do a couple of things, make sure that the vaccine is available everywhere in all of the communities that need it.

And I know in some areas that are hard to reach, we have undertaken strategies to go out to mobile clinics, to work with offsite clinics to make sure that we're getting in those underserved areas, to follow the protocol that the CDC has set and to really go out and to make the vaccine available for everyone. So really following the guidelines and protocol at the CDC and state and local governments have set.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Carlos, Anjalee here. There seems to be a twofold technology issue at stake. One is appointments and making them. And then secondly is gathering and capturing that data to ensure that we're keeping track of minorities and ethnic-- and different ethnic groups that are getting access to the vaccine. What is Walgreens doing to help address both?

CARLOS CUBIA: Well, again, as I stated earlier, we have been doing vaccines and recording that information and capturing that data so that we can share it with the necessary organizations and authorities that-- that are-- as appropriate. So we're going to continue to follow those guidelines through technology that we've set up through our registration process. And so this is not new for us in terms of this information.

I mean, this is something that we've been doing for quite some time. So really, we'll continue to follow the protocols that's already been in place. And if there are new procedures that are required by the federal government or the CDC, then we'll quickly work with our teams to-- to put those in place and follow those guidelines.

JULIE HYMAN: Carlos, it's Julie here. When you talk about the need to get the vaccine out into minority communities, part of that piece, as well-- and you talked about education, which is obviously very important. Part of that piece, as well, is who is administering the vaccine.

And I don't just mean Walgreens. I mean the actual person who's giving the shot. What percentage of your pharmacists are people of color, are people who look like their constituents who they're reaching out to, because that also can be a part of the puzzle?

CARLOS CUBIA: Well, I can tell you that we have a very diverse set of population in terms of our pharmacists and our pharmacy techs that have been trained to administer the vaccine. And we are very proud of the fact that our pharmacists represent the communities of which they serve. To give you that exact number, I will probably have to get back to you with that exact number.

But our population of diverse employees in our field operation is 49%, and so we have 49% diversity. And to a large extent, our pharmacist population matches that, but I can get back to you with that exact number. But we make sure that we represent the community and that we try to target those areas with people that can connect and that are, you know, in those communities.

JULIE HYMAN: Mm-hmm.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: And Carlos--

CARLOS CUBIA: Sorry. Go ahead.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: --looking at the-- no worries. And looking at the administration itself, we know that these two vaccines that are out right now have specific cold temperature requirements and looking forward with J&J likely to come online in the next month or so, what are your thoughts about how you're going to distribute them, especially to these hard-to-reach communities, depending on which vaccine specifically will be sent out?

CARLOS CUBIA: Well, right now we're equipped for all of the different requirements that are required for each of the respective vaccines. We have the extreme cold temperature shortages in our stores. For the regular temperatures for, I think, the Moderna vaccine, we have those capabilities.

And as I stated in the past, we've been doing vaccines, whether it's the flu vaccine, a pneumonia vaccine, the shingles vaccine, we quickly can pivot to meet the accommodations that are necessary to store those and then to transport them out to the necessary locations where we're going to administer them. So we feel pretty confident that we're able to meet all of the criteria that's been set forth.

MYLES UDLAND: All right, Carlos Cubia is the Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance. Carlos, really appreciate you taking some time to speak with us this morning, and I know we'll talk soon.

CARLOS CUBIA: Thank you. Thank you for having me.