Pharmacists taking on greater role in fight against influenza: More people getting their shots in stores

It is flu season and Steve Simenson is busy. He is administering flu shots, working with local physicians, teaching residents how to stay flu-free and creating easy, accessible ways for his community to get immunized.

Simenson, FAPhA, does not work in a local health department — he is a community pharmacist. The owner of a chain of independent pharmacies in the Minneapolis suburbs, Simenson said when he first began offering flu shots a decade ago, he and his colleagues were administering about 500 vaccines a year. Now, they give up to 7,000 flu shots annually.

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