Chicago, IL – November 14, 2013. The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Walgreens is offering vouchers for free flu shots. This is the third year FACHIC has been involved in this program to offer flu shots to those in need of the Filipino community as well as community at large. The flu shot is the best defense against seasonal flu.

Vouchers may be used at any Walgreens in the Chicago area through April 15, 2014. The voucher will cover the cost and administration of the flu shot. In order to be eligible, individuals must have no insurance coverage for a flu shot and cannot afford to pay for a flu shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all individuals 6 months of age and older should receive the vaccine. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe flu. High risk patients include: adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, health workers and nursing home residents. Adults with diabetes, heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease on dialysis, actively smoking, cancer or any chronic disease are also considered high risk. Caregivers of children or at risk adults and household contacts of individuals with high risk medical problems should also consider receiving a flu shot. For more information about the flu and how to protect yourself, go to www.flu.gov.

If you are interested in receiving a voucher or know someone who would benefit from receiving a voucher, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your request or call 312-962-7748 for more information. Vouchers are limited and subject to availability. Vouchers will be sent via US first class mail to the requesting individual’s address.

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area. The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community. FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization. All programs and services are free and available to all. For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org. ###