Retail Clinics

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.

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."

WASHINGTON In recognition of American Heart Month, a national coalition for women with heart disease and a toothpaste brand have launched a campaign to help educate women throughout the United States about the impact proper oral care can have on their heart health.

HOBOKEN, N.J. A new non-neurotoxic treatment for head lice has been found to have an average of 91.2% treatment success rate after one week, and to be safe in humans from 6 months of age and up, according to a study published in the latest issue of Pediatric Dermatology.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. A leader in hearing care is offering patients free hearing-loss screenings, along with a free 80-minute "Living With Diabetes" video, produced by the American Diabetes Association, during the month of March.

HearUSA, one of America's largest hearing care and hearing aids companies, encourages people with diabetes to visit one of their centers in New York state for a free screening next month, noting a National Institutes of Health landmark study indicated that diabetics are twice as likely to experience hearing loss.

ROCKVILLE, Md. The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Monday recommended that protection against the 2009 H1N1 virus, which was first identified last April, be included in the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccine starting this fall.