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May 1, 2021
Cigna is Helping Create a Community of Immunity in Arizona
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Cigna teamed up with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and the City of Scottsdale to run a new COVID-19 vaccination center, serving the community and helping to make vaccinations easy and convenient. 

Hundreds of Cigna employees have come together for this effort, helping in non-clinical roles such as patient check-in, directing foot traffic flow and scheduling second appointments. 

Kris Erickson, a training director for Evernorth’s Express Scripts, is grateful to be part of the effort: “This is such a fantastic opportunity to get the whole community vaccinated. My message to my fellow Scottsdale area residents is: come out to WestWorld, get your vaccine and be part of the Community of Immunity.” 

Kim Shepard, president of Cigna’s commercial health plan business in Arizona, said, “Our goal is for Greater Phoenix to become a Community of Immunity as quickly as possible, and vaccination is the path that will get us there. Vaccination is how we’ll beat the COVID-19 virus and end the public health crisis. If we all roll up our sleeves, literally, this is something we can get done.”

Cigna is managing the day-to-day operation of the indoor site, including clinical staffing and pharmacy services. It operates daily, accepting both walk-ins and appointments from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site is anticipated to remain open through the summer.

Opening and managing the WestWorld site is a large-scale undertaking that requires close coordination between ADHS, the City of Scottsdale and Cigna, and involves clinicians and volunteers from multiple Cigna and Evernorth companies. 

“We’re connecting people to quality health care, and we’re promoting wellness and prevention,” Kim Shepard continued. “That’s what we do every day. It’s who we are as a company.” 

This effort is part of Cigna’s broad range of initiatives to encourage and expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, including transportation to vaccine appointments at no cost for most Medicare Advantage customers, paid time off for Cigna employees to get vaccinated, and an incentive award for employees who are fully vaccinated.