FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2012

For more information contact: Carol Mattar, Public Relations Specialist Phone: (708)383-0258 Cell: (708)601-3730 Email: carol.mattar@ageoptions.org

AgeOptions Encourages All to Do Their Civic Duty: Vote & Vax

Jonathan Lavin, president and chief executive officer of AgeOptions encourages every adult to do their civic duty this Tuesday, November 6. Of course one of those civic responsibilities includes voting for the most qualified candidates for public office by the end of the day Tuesday, but Lavin has added a second duty for all go to a clinic, physician or pharmacy and get a flu shot! Why? - Every year in the United States, on average:

Up to 1 in 5 people gets the flu More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications About 36,000 people die from flu

Flu shots allow you to protect yourself and your loved ones from influenza. Lavin asks those who voted early in the election to use a small portion of the time they saved to get a flu shot. He asks those going to the polls on Tuesday to stop at a pharmacy, doctors office, or other convenient location and ask for a flu shot either on the way to or returning from the polls. His advice is based on AgeOptions position of providing leadership in senior services and issues related to aging throughout suburban Cook County for the past 38 years. He also asks that if you do obtain a flu shot after seeing this request, call AgeOptions at (800)699-9043 and report that you responded to this national public health civic duty. Lavin was approached by the founders of Vote & Vax, a national program that recognized the opportunity to safely and conveniently offer incentives for citizens to obtain flu vaccinations on Election Day. Initially this collaboration between The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and SPARC (Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration), created Vote & Vax to

work with local public health providers to assist them in launching vaccination clinics at or near polling places across the country. This year, in recognition of the vaccinations being offered in many more locations across the country, at polling places, pharmacies and other settings, Vote & Vax encourages public information campaigns to connect the two important civic duties. The flu shot can be lifesaving, not only to the recipient of the vaccination, but to those who otherwise would be threatened by the flu after contact with a sick individual. Vote & Vax, nationally, has partnered with a number of pharmacy chains both local and national to promote and provide flu shots on Election Day. In Illinois, for example, many K-Mart pharmacies will be actively involved in Vote & Vax on Election Day. Go to the Vote & Vax websites clinic finder to find the clinic nearest you: http://www.voteandvax.org/GetAFluShot.aspx. Vote & Vax is committed to protecting Americans from the flu and to keeping our nation healthy. Since its first multi-state program in 2004, Vote & Vax has helped provide thousands of influenza vaccinations to at-risk Americans. Vote & Vax significantly expanded its efforts in 2008, delivering 21,434 influenza vaccinations at 331 locations in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Of those vaccinated through the project, almost half (47.7 percent) were "new" recipients, meaning they had either not received a flu shot in the preceding year or would not have otherwise been vaccinated. ###
AgeOptions and its network of community agencies are the principal source of information regarding senior services in suburban Cook County, Ill. A nonprofit organization located in Oak Park, AgeOptions has served the older adults of suburban Cook County and their caregivers as an Area Agency on Aging since 1974. For more information, please visit the Agency website at www.ageoptions.org. AgeOptions connects adults age 60 and over with resources and service options so they can live their lives to the fullest and remain in their homes as long as possible. In 2011 we met the needs of more than 200,000 individuals in 130 communities within 30 townships that have a diverse population of more than 480,000 older adults. AgeOptions advocates, plans, develops and funds programs and coordinates a network of community-based senior service agencies to ensure an effective and efficient system of service delivery. Support is provided through the Older Americans Act, Illinois General Revenue Funds, local funds and individual contributions.