Retail Clinics

DEERFIELD, Ill. — In a major alliance to foster preventive health in the United States, Walgreens has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide free flu vaccinations to as many as 350,000 low-income and uninsured Americans.

Walgreens will provide more than $10 million worth of vouchers for free flu shots, which HHS will help distribute.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Americans won’t take off work for something as innocuous as a cold, a new survey released Wednesday found, a fact that underscores the need for ready access to over-the-counter cough-cold medicines and better hand-washing/sanitizing practices in the workplace.

The survey, sponsored by Cadbury Adams’ Halls cough drop brand, found that 44% of Americans would consider going to work with a fever, and 32% said they would show up to work no matter how sick they get this season.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic has entered a clinical collaboration in southern Nevada with St. Rose Dominican Hospitals — members of the Catholic Healthcare West system — to enhance healthcare services provided in communities throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

MinuteClinic, which is owned by CVS Caremark, operates six clinics inside CVS locations throughout southern Nevada.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. — Prestige Brands last month announced the introduction of Little Colds Honey Elixir, a nonmedicated treatment for cough and sore throat, as the newest addition to the Little Remedies line.

“The incidence of cough is already higher this year than last [year] among children [under 5 years of age], according to the Fan Flu data reports in November,” stated Jean Boyko, SVP science and technology at Prestige.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A prescription cough suppressant should be kept in childproof containers because of its candy-like appearance, the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.

Tessalon (benzonatate) is made by Forest Labs and comes in the form of a round, liquid-filled gelatin capsule. The drug is used to relieve cough in patients older than 10 years of age.

PHILADELPHIA — Bresslergroup on Tuesday introduced a device that disinfects an entire room without labor or hazardous chemicals. Bresslergroup designed the new product for Sanosil International.

HOUSTON — RediClinic has announced that it will open 20 new clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores across Texas, which will nearly double the number of RediClinics currently operating within H-E-B.

Eight clinics are slated to open across the Houston, Austin and San Antonio markets by the end of January. The three new San Antonio clinics will operate in affiliation with Methodist Healthcare System, San Antonio.

CHICAGO — Healthy eating behavior varies by generation, according to new research by NPD.

The "Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation" report found that younger generations — i.e., adults ages 21 to 54 years — have the least-healthy diets. But while older generations have better diets than their younger counterparts, it seems that 4-out-of-5 adults still need to improve the quality of their diet.