Chances are, you made big plans to take charge of your health on New Year’s Eve—plans that may have become slow to implement.
You’re not alone!
Instead, the first few weeks of January could be about gradually recovering from the excesses of the holiday season and reacclimating yourself to a typical workday and life routine.
With the year firmly underway, the time has finally come to tackle those ambitious 2024 health and wellness resolutions—an admittedly daunting task. The good news is you don’t have to make massive changes or go to drastic lengths to improve your overall well-being.
So many tools and resources you may need to take charge of your health are available at your local Walgreens and online at walgreens.com.
1. Make your health a priority with Walgreens Find Care
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Simply committing to improving your health in the year ahead is a step in the right direction. But how do you do it? First, you need a plan, and the best, most effective way to come up with one is with the guidance of healthcare professionals who specialize in your areas of concern. It sounds like a no-brainer, but anyone who has gone into an anxiety spiral over finding the right provider out of the dozens, maybe even hundreds of options, knows it can be a formidable hurdle to overcome.
That’s where Walgreens Find Care comes in.
This feature on walgreens.com or in the Walgreens app can help you find all kinds of local providers, whether you’re looking for primary care or more specific specialties like mental health, weight loss, or dermatology. Scheduling an appointment just takes a couple of minutes.
Walgreens also offers holistic HIV services, including convenient and confidential HIV testing right at your local pharmacy, along with medication counseling and prevention options such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
2. Take control
Another key to taking control is keeping track of everything. But keeping track of all your healthcare data can be an overwhelming task. Walgreens makes that easy for members of its customer loyalty program. Members get free access to the myWalgreens Health Access feature without downloading another app.
The platform keeps track of participating healthcare providers, pharmacies, insurance claims, and more. Set up reminders for prescription refills and vaccinations and record all your doctor visits so you know when it’s time to make a new appointment. Another great feature is the RX Savings Finder.
Health Access can also provide insights based on your data, helping you to meet all your healthcare needs and goals.
3. Destress your life
It’s no surprise to anyone with a high-pressure job or demanding life that stress can impact your well-being. According to Walgreens, long-term stress, such as caring for a family member with a chronic disease or being in a toxic relationship, can take its toll on your body. It may lead to stomachaches, muscle aches, trouble sleeping, loss of energy, and more. Chronic stress may even put you at risk for more serious health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
So take a little stress off. Rather than running to the pharmacy for meds, take advantage of Walgreens’ Prescription Delivery. Get a 90-day supply of eligible medications delivered to your door and register for automatic refills on Walgreens.com or in the Walgreens app.
After all, who doesn’t want to have one less errand to run?
4. Get vaccinated against flu, Covid-19, RSV, and other vaccine-preventable diseases
Ok, so this probably doesn’t even count as a resolution. It’s more likely an item on your to-do list that slipped your mind amidst all the end-of-year family stress and social obligations. Rates of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, the flu, and RSV are rising across the country. Now is the time to get vaccines and boosters so you lower your chances of becoming seriously sick or hospitalized.
Your best defense against serious illness is to get vaccinated, which you can easily do on your next trip to pick up household essentials at Walgreens.
Walgreens pharmacies offer a wide variety of standard vaccinations, including the latest for the flu and COVID-19. You can even get more than one vaccine in a single visit, which is safe according to the Centers for Disease Control. All you have to do is call your local store or go to Walgreens.com to make your appointment.
5. Go virtual, telemedicine
Over the last few years, the explosion in telemedicine options has made it much easier and more affordable for people to access the healthcare they need. Instead of visiting your doctor and sacrificing part of your day in a waiting room, you can speak to a provider virtually from the comfort of your home. In November 2023, Walgreens launched its telemedicine service, which is currently available in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.
Through Walgreens Virtual Healthcare, you can speak to a licensed doctor or nurse practitioner via chat or video, often within 15 minutes of requesting an appointment.
Fees start at just $33 and can be paid through health savings accounts or flexible spending accounts outside of insurance coverage.
6. Participate in clinic trials to improve health care for everyone
If you are among the 78 percent of Americans who live within 5 miles of a Walgreens, you may volunteer for a clinical trial. Not only does Walgreens make this easy and convenient, the company hopes to “change the paradigm” for clinical trials by building on its neighborhood presence and “empowering communities to drive diverse participation in trials.”
For more information on Walgreens, visit walgreens.com
