CVS Samaritan Van celebrates 30 years

WOONSOCKET, R.I. CVS has announced that it is celebrating 30 years of helping motorists on the nation’s highways through its CVS Samaritan Van program.

The program launched in Rhode Island 30 years ago on Feb. 6, 1978, the same day that the “Blizzard of ‘78” struck the Northeast. The single vehicle and its driver immediately began to provide assistance to motorists who became stranded by the sudden storm.

Today, a fleet of CVS Samaritan Vans, patrolling highways around nine major U.S. cities, have traveled more than 10 million “help miles” and assisted more than one million people. The white vans with the red “CVS/Samaritan” logo have become a familiar site to commuters in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Providence and Washington, D.C. The program is operated on behalf of CVS by Samaritania, which is located in Franklin, Mass.

They are ASE-certified in motor vehicle repair and are also licensed EMTs, are capable of making numerous on-site repairs, administering help or using their communications equipment to summon police, rescue vehicles or tow trucks. All repairs, supplies and aid they provide are free of charge.

“By working in cooperation with local transportation departments, metro traffic centers, law enforcement and other emergency responders, our highly trained CVS Samaritan Van drivers provide welcome roadside assistance and support,” stated Eileen Howard Dunn, senior vice president of corporate communications and community relations. “By helping to keep people safe on our nation’s highways, the CVS Samaritan Van program is part of our company’s vision to strive to improve the quality of human life.”