Interview: Learish discusses caregivers' importance to Rite Aid

PITTSBURGH Rite Aid hosted its Caregiver Expo Saturday here, with several hundred local residents taking advantage of the many free healthcare services offered by Rite Aid at the Expo.

Drug Store News, which organized the event, had a chance to sit down with John Learish, Rite Aid senior vice president of marketing for his take on caregivers.

Following is a snippet of that conversation. The full interview will be published in the Dec. 10 edition of Drug Store News.

Drug Store News: Why is caregiving important to Rite Aid, not only in Pittsburgh but nationwide?

John Learish: When you look at the caregiver segment, it’s growing exponentially. The statistics show that nearly one in four U.S. households currently cares for a relative or friend over 50. And as the population continues to age, this is something that, as a healthcare provider, we’re going to have to address.

DrSN: What services is Rite Aid providing at the Caregiver Expo?

Learish: We’ve got a great representation of pharmacists who are here to demonstrate the services that we offer, both everyday at any of our stores as well as some of our specialized services. … Six different suppliers participated with us today, all with products that index very highly against the caregiver segment. People from Carex with durable medical [goods], Ross Labs with nutritional products, Kimberly Clark for some of the incontinence products that they offer, Lifescan and Omron with diagnostic products as well as Sage; so we’ve got a real relevant set of offerings both from the front-of–the-store all the way back to the personalized services we’re offering in the pharmacy.