CVS

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health is teaming up with Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to help open an opioid Center of Excellence here, where the company has its headquarters, in an effort expand access to medication-assisted treatment. The company has committed $250,000 to the Community Care Alliance to open and operate the Woonsocket Center.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health’s MinuteClinic on Tuesday announced that it had joined the Alere eScreen Occupational Health Network in a move that will allow employers to direct employees to MinuteClinic to complete occupational health screenings.

Adult bath products offering a Zen-like experience are bubbling to the surface in mass stores and helping to perk up sales, along with Epsom salt soaks. Consumers are favoring products with a purpose over simply fragrant bath additives. That explains the 26% climb in volume of Dr. Teal’s, which offers a Pure Epsom Salt Soak, along with body wash and foaming bath. It is the No.1 selling SKU in the bath category.

A slew of at-home spa devices offer drug store retailers the opportunity to build incremental sales — while giving shoppers the chance to pamper themselves privately. Although visits to medical spas are up, not all women can spare the time or money for frequent visits. That’s fueled growth of the do-it-yourself gadget business. Today, chains can sell LED lights to fight acne or wrinkles, or to spur follicle growth — and they can do so even at price tags approaching $100.

Having a baby changes everything — including shopping behavior, according to new insights from pregnancy and parenting resource BabyCenter, a Johnson & Johnson company. The company’s “2017 Skincare and Bathtime Study,” shared exclusively with Drug Store News, points to lasting changes that new parents undergo in terms of what they look for from their personal care products once they have children, as well as the top factors influencing their buying decisions.

After years of ignoring warnings that sun exposure poses a health risk and hastens aging, consumers are starting to see the light. In fact, overall category sales rose 6.7% for the 52-week period ended May 14 across multi-outlets, according to IRI. Lotions and oils advanced almost 7%, and sunscreens and bug repellants jumped 3.5%.

But retailers and marketers said much more needs to be done. A recent Marist Institute for Public Opinion Poll said only 1-in-10 people apply sunscreen regularly.

CVS Health, in partnership with Drug Store News and Mack Elevation, last month hosted the Health Innovation Summit in Providence, R.I. Bringing together leaders from such major healthcare, technology and consumer brands as Facebook, Under Armour, Google, IBM and many others, the one-day thought leadership conference examined emerging trends helping to reshape the healthcare industry.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Points of Light, an organization dedicated to volunteer service, recently released its Civic 50 list, highlighting companies that are examples of good corporate citizenship. CVS Health was among the healthcare companies on the list, which was announced at the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service in Seattle.