Walgreens to give more than $1 million to promote minority initiatives at pharma schools

DEERFIELD, Ill. Less than 12 percent of students in pharmacy school are minorities, but the country’s largest retail pharmacy chain wants to change that.

Walgreens announced Thursday that it would donate more than $1 million to efforts to promote diversity, giving $10,000 to each of the country’s 111 accredited pharmacy colleges. It initially announced the effort at annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

“As our country’s need for pharmacy services continues to rise, so does its need for dedicated community pharmacists to serve an increasingly diverse patient base,” Walgreens chairman and chief executive officer Jeffrey Rein said. “Today’s pharmacists play a vital role in their local communities.”