Retail Clinics

NEW YORK The American Pharmacist Association has given its Immunization Champion Award to a school of pharmacy in New York City.

Touro College of Pharmacy, in the Harlem neighborhood, was among more than 100 nominees competing for the ward, which receives support from Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics. The award program will take place at the APhA’s annual meeting in Washington from March 12 to 15.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. Lowe’s is offering on-site health screenings for its employees through its Lowe’s Life Track health-and-wellness program. On March 1, two mobile health units began traveling across the country to provide more than 70,000 Lowe’s employees with free basic health screenings and guidance about how to improve and maintain their health.

SILVER SPRING, Md. Consumers who often read food labels are increasingly aware of the link between diet and heart disease, according to the Food and Drug Administration's recent Health and Diet Survey.

The survey, which was conducted in 2008 via telephone of more than 2,500 adults in every state and the District of Columbia, noted that 91% of consumers were aware of the diet-heart disease relationship, an 8% jump since 2002.

DEERFIELD, Ill. Walgreens’ long campaign to overhaul and integrate its pharmacy and clinical health components culminated Monday in the company’s announcement that it had restructured its healthcare divisions to create a unified pharmacy, health and wellness solution. That solution, Walgreens reported, is tailored to meet the needs of employers, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and government clients searching for more cost-effective care for their health plan members.

CHICAGO Prompted by fear of a severe outbreak of H1N1, Illinois health officials, along with other states, temporarily allowed pharmacists to administer vaccine shots to children ages 9 years old. Now, drug stores are looking to get rid of the age restrictions altogether.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. The Little Clinic, which currently manages clinics in 11 states, has announced the launch of its 2010 Free Screenings and Health Education Program.

The program will be available at all locations of The Little Clinic inside select Kroger and Publix Super Markets.

ATLANTA A panel of immunization experts reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday voted to expand the recommendation for annual influenza vaccination to include all people ages 6 months and older, a marked change from recommendations in the past that identified high-priority groups by age and condition, groups that apply to approximately 85% of the population.

WASHINGTON The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arthritis Foundation in early February announced a major initiative to dramatically reduce the impact of osteoarthritis on Americans. In conjunction with the announcement, the Arthritis Foundation and the Ad Council are unveiling a national public awareness campaign in response to the recommendations outlined in the action plan, "A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis."