Top Retailers

When RB North America president Alexander Lacik thinks about his 18-year-old son, he doesn’t doubt that it’s possible he might live longer than 100 years. His concern is where his son will get the knowledge to lead a healthy lifestyle — something Lacik said could be a big role for Walmart, particularly in the vitamins, minerals and supplements category.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. - CVS Health on Wednesday announced the rollout of Project Health, its annual free health services campaign, at select CVS Pharmacy locations in 10 multicultural communities across the country. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 8 and running through Dec. 18, nearly $8 million worth of free health services will be delivered at more than 500 Project Health events.

Since 2006, Project Health has delivered more than $112 million worth of free health care services to nearly 872,000 people, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured.

As the company behind Purell hand sanitizer, Gojo’s “big, hairy, audacious goal,” as described by the company’s VP hygiene sciences and public health advancements Jim Arbogast, is to “bring well-being to 1 billion people every day.” And the company’s strategy for how retailers can help with that goal is based on extensive research Gojo has done about how best to provide hand hygiene touchpoints.

The mounting costs of health care and the rise of high-deductible health plans are biting deep into Americans’ pocketbooks as payers shift more of the cost burden onto their members. Meanwhile, public and private plan payers are demanding more cost-effective modes of front-line care and shifting the focus to wellness, disease prevention and successful outcomes.

At Abbott Nutrition, “it all starts with consumer empathy,” the company’s director of insights, innovation and brand strategy, Surya Menon, told attendees at the Retail Health Summit. By helping the company understand a patient’s head space when making a purchase, this starting point is aimed at ensuring they can meet consumer needs at the best time.

Helping seniors stay “active, mobile and independent” is the prime mission for GreatCall, a San-Diego-based provider of independent-living tools for elderly Americans and their caregivers.

As critics of the Affordable Care Act continue to grumble about how the law has adversely affected much of the nation’s healthcare system, consultant and Foundation for Health Smart Consumers fellow Mike Tarino said that giving people more control over how their healthcare dollars are spent could help quiet the critics and put what many see as a failing reform plan back on track.

Is there a place for genetic testing in the retail pharmacy setting? Absolutely, said John Ward, VP international and retail marketing for 23andMe.