CVS

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is touting its stores as a "one-stop shop" for Valentine's Day shopping.

The retail pharmacy chain said Tuesday that stores had stocked up on items like cards and candy, including chocolates from companies like Hershey's, Lindt, Dove, Ferrero Rocher, Ghirardelli, Godiva and others.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has launched what it called the "latest evolution" of its ExtraCare loyalty card program.

The chain announced Monday the launch of the ExtraCare Pharmacy & Health Rewards program, which allows members to earn larger and more frequent rewards when filling prescriptions or making healthy decisions, as well as providing another choice for members and giving them the ability to opt-in to parts of the program most relevant to their needs and preferences.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A standards-development organization for the pharmacy services industry has updated a white paper on protecting consumers and patients from accidental overdoses of the painkiller acetaminophen.

The NCPDP announced the updated white paper, "NCPDP Recommendations for Improved Prescription Container Labels for Medicines Containing Acetaminophen Version 1.1."

LEBANON, Pa.  — Ever since H1N1, prevention has been a strong theme resonating through each cough-cold season. And now that there's a strong flu season driving traffic, retailers like CVS/pharmacy here are strategically placing end-caps, such as this Lysol display, leading into the cough-cold sets. Tissues and even hand sanitizers had always been good ancillary categories that enjoyed a lift during cold and flu season. Now disinfectant cleaners are a good category to benefit from those sniffles and sneezes too.

Shifting patients away from hospital emergency rooms and into retail-based and urgent care walk-in clinics can significantly lower healthcare costs, improve access to care and reduce the impact of such chronic diseases as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, two health benefits experts asserted in a recent online presentation.

Walmart recently announced that it would source $50 billion of the products sold in its stores in the United States over the next 10 years, according to a report in USA Today.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Continuing to assist those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation, announced on Friday that it is donating $50,000 to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.

Established by Gov. Chris Christie and chaired by First Lady Mary Pat Christie, the relief fund is a nonprofit organization that raises and distributes funds to organizations to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts of New Jersey communities impacted by the storm.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and WEST ORANGE, N.J. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic and Barnabas Health in New Jersey have signed a clinical collaboration to enhance access to healthcare services in Monmouth and Ocean counties.