Retail Clinics

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Big Y Foods and Western New England College School of Pharmacy have teamed up to develop a faculty pharmacist-run, patient-centered consultation and wellness center inside the Big Y World Class Market here.

The facility is the first one to be located in a supermarket. Patients will be able to make an appointment with a pharmacist who will work with the individual and his or her physician to optimize that individual's care. The grand opening event took place on Sept. 10.

WASHINGTON A pair of Food and Drug Administration advisory committees on Tuesday evening recommended that the FDA not place greater sales restrictions on the sale of dextromethorphan by placing the ingredient on the controlled substances schedule. The panel of FDA advisers voted to not schedule DXM by a vote of 15-9.

PLEASANTON, Calif. Safeway on Tuesday announced that all Safeway pharmacies in the United States now have a new high-dose flu vaccine called Fluzone High-Dose, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people 65 years of age and older.

WASHINGTON The Internal Revenue Service earlier this month issued guidance reflecting statutory changes regarding the use of certain tax-favored arrangements, such as flexible spending arrangements, to pay for over-the-counter medicines and drugs.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart Pharmacy is hosting its semi-annual diabetes education day on Wednesday at Kmart locations nationwide.

As part of its diabetes education day, Kmart is offering blood-glucose meter demonstrations; blood pressure, body mass index and memory screenings; and educational information on raising diabetes awareness to its pharmacy patients. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 million people in the United States have diabetes, which accounts for about 8% of the population.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. —Take Care Health Systems, which is owned by Walgreens, built its retail-based clinics around a patient-centric model, and the success of that model is evident in the results of recent Gallup research.

ALCOA, Tenn. Blount Memorial Hospital is looking to open a retail-based health clinic inside Walmart here on Sept. 27, marking the retailer's first health clinic in Tennessee, according to published reports.

Two nurse practitioners and two support personnel members will staff "The Clinic at Walmart," which will have a footprint of 416 sq. ft., according to reports.

PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Business Group on Health’s LivingMyLife program, which helps diabetes patients with disease management through the use of “coach pharmacists,” will soon do the same for those with other diseases, according to published reports.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Friday that LivingMyLife also would help patients with asthma and heart disease. The program, which began in 2006, allows patients to manage their disease with visits to pharmacies, mostly Giant Eagle, Kmart and some independents.