Gov. Kemp visits Walgreens pop-up vaccine clinic at DeKalb church

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp visited a pop-up vaccine clinic Friday and said he wants more providers to think "outside the box."

Walgreens organized the clinic in partnership with St. Philip AME Church on the corner of Candler Road and Memorial Drive. It is one of three events the pharmacy scheduled March 11-13 through the Metro Atlanta Ministerial Alliance.

"We need all our providers to start thinking like Walgreens. It's how we get the vaccine out into the community whether at a church, a civic club, a neighborhood, a homeowners' association," explained Gov. Kemp. "I feel like we're quickly approaching that in many areas of the state right now. In other areas like the metro Atlanta area, I think that will be the case very, very soon and we're seeing that here today. I know that we have providers out there that have doses that they could do things like this. I want to encourage them to now start thinking outside the box."

St. Philip helped their members and those in the surrounding community book appointments.

"Walgreens has been doing offsite clinics for a very long time," said Shauna Wilson with Walgreens. "So, COVID is new, but our infrastructure when it comes to doing offsite clinics is not. So, we were able to quickly adjust to that."

Gov. Kemp said he feels confident the state has the supply necessary to accommodate the more than 3 million Georgians who will become newly-eligible on Monday. He said while demand remains high in metro Atlanta, it is low from Macon south.

That is why he said he thinks smaller, community-based vaccine clinics at churches, civic groups and neighborhood associations will help get more shots in arms.

"People that go to church here, people that live in the neighborhood, they can trust St. Philip AME Church," said Gov. Kemp.

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