CVS partners with ODEP to promote employment of those with disabilities

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and CVS/Caremark established on Tuesday an alliance to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities through training and education, outreach and communication, technical assistance and other efforts.

“This alliance will mutually benefit CVS/Caremark, the company’s workforce and customers, the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the general public,” stated Karen M. Czarnecki, acting assistant secretary of labor for ODEP. “Hiring, retaining and advancing employees with disabilities is just good business. ODEP and CVS/Caremark will share information, guidance and resources that will help to develop model programs for other employers, particularly in the retail and pharmacy services industries.”

Through the two-year alliance, ODEP and CVS/Caremark jointly will distribute training and education materials to, as well as share effective disability employment practices with, the company’s human resources leaders. They will collaborate to identify technical assistance resources in providing workplace accommodations. The two organizations also will disseminate information in a variety of ways to promote a national dialogue on disability employment issues.

CVS/Caremark was a 2006 recipient of the Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award for its efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities. As such, the company is a member of ODEP’s Circle of Champions, a group of U.S. employers that works with the agency to help inform disability employment policy by sharing proven business strategies.