Blending pharmacy, nutritional expertise

Now in its 110th year, H-E-B is a pioneer in food-store pharmacy retailing. Beginning with its first in-store prescription center in the 1950s, the chain now offers full pharmacy departments in 245 of its more than 350 stores, according to its SVP pharmacy Craig Norman.

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Those pharmacies offer an expanding menu of immunizations, health screenings and long-term disease management programs. Through its ongoing “Second Saturday” health-and-wellness initiative, H-E-B pharmacies offer free screenings for blood glucose and blood pressure, as well as cholesterol testing for under $4 on the second Saturday of every month. Also available for $29.99: quarterly A1C testing for diabetics to help them manage their conditions long-term, and a complete cholesterol blood test measuring HDL and LDL levels.



Diabetes is a prime focus of its health-and-wellness efforts. Based in a state where more than 10% of adults have the condition, H-E-B offers diabetes monitoring and patient education, as well as its own line of glucose monitors and testing strips under the H-E-B inControl label. Supplementing those efforts: the “My H-E-B Health & Wellness” program, which includes weekly meal plans and shopping lists for healthier eating, shopping tours with dietitians, exercise tips and a shelf-tag program to identify products for special dietary needs.



“Our focus is to continue to develop our outreach to customers, building on being recognized as a destination for health and wellness,” Norman told DSN.



Among the company’s newest innovations: free or low-cost prescription deliveries in many Texas markets. The pharmacy delivery service is now available weekdays in nearly 100 H-E-B stores.



“For two or more prescriptions, this service is completely free, and it’s only $5 if the order is for one prescription,” the company noted. Deliveries normally occur within four hours or less, according to H-E-B’s pharmacy division.