Uber Pilot Initiative, UberHEALTH, is teaming-up with Vaccine Finder to bring on-demand flu prevention to Chicago.
In order to get free flu shots, people need to open the Uber app and select “UberHEALTH” from where they can request a flu prevention kit. After that, an UberHEALTH vehicle will arrive to user location with a registered nurse from Passport Health.
The registered nurse facilitates all paperwork and consent forms.The requester will have the option to verbally request a flu shot from the registered nurse in addition to the flu prevention pack, which includes a packet of EmergenC, water, mini hand sanitizer, mini Kleenex, and a lollipop. The nurse can vaccinate up to 10 people per request.
The registered nurse facilitates all paperwork and consent forms. Flublok vaccines — appropriate for ages 18 and over, and provided by Protein Sciences — will be administered by Passport Health.
The Chicago Department of Public Health reports that the flu affects up to 20% of the population each year. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each flu season, nearly 111 million workdays are lost due to the flu, equaling approximately $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity.
Uber launched the pilot program UberHEALTH in Boston, New York and DC on October 23. After examining other markets it was decided that Chicago would be the best fit for the fourth pilot for this flu season.