CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Invests Millions of Dollars in Access to Health Care for Underserved Populations

WOONSOCKET, R.I., April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --  The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust , a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation /quotes/zigman/169740/delayed/quotes/nls/cvs CVS +0.17% , today announced the recipients of nearly 70 grants awarded to free and charitable clinics, school-based health centers (SBHCs) and community health centers as part of a $5 million commitment to increase access to health care in communities nationwide through partnerships with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC), the School-Based Health Alliance and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The grant recipients will help increase access to health care and coordinated care to improve health outcomes for people of all ages across the country.

CVS Caremark also commits to data sharing and providing insight into community health by launching a Community Health Barometer that will unveil the state of health care for underserved populations nationwide. The barometer will survey grant recipients and their patients on a quarterly basis to identify challenges in patient care, to monitor progress and the impact of health care services, uncover best practices in smoking cessation, to discover key trends in health care access and to develop an understanding of the evolving health care needs in local communities.

"As the delivery of health care services evolves with an emphasis on better health outcomes, reducing chronic disease and controlling costs, it's essential that we work closely with our community health partners, including free and charitable clinics, school-based health centers and community health centers, to help ensure that thousands of adults and children have access to health services right in their local communities," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark. "As a pharmacy innovation company that is committed to helping people on their path to better health, we are reinforcing our commitment to understand the state of community health and to identify where support is needed most and share insights on community health innovations that are creating positive health outcomes."

In alignment with CVS Caremark's commitment to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy locations by October 1 as part of an effort to support the health and well-being of its patients and customers, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is supporting organizations that are providing cessation and anti-tobacco programs, including the following:

"Now more than ever, pharmacies are on the front lines of health care, becoming more involved in chronic disease management. All of these conditions are made worse by smoking which is the leading cause of illness and death in the United States with more than 480,000 deaths annually," said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy for CVS Caremark and President of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. "We are proud to be the first national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of our patients and customers and are committed to working with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, the School-Based Health Alliance and the National Association of Community Health Centers that all share our commitment to help people who smoke to stop, and those who don't to never start."

The funding from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust in partnership with NAFC will enhance coordinated care models at free and charitable clinics to help improve the quality of care and health outcomes.

The funding to school-based health centers will help ensure that kindergarteners through high school students can receive routine medical care, such as a flu shot, annual physical, eye exams, dental screenings, or speak to a mental health counselor.  

The second year of the "Innovations in Community Health" grant program in partnership with NACHC will support the development of innovative, community-based programs and initiatives that focus on the treatment and management of chronic illnesses, specifically heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and asthma as well as programs that are helping patients who have a co-morbidity of depression.  

National Association of Free & Charitable Clinic Grantees Free and charitable clinics receiving grants through the partnership with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics include:

School-Based Health Alliance Grantees School-based health centers receiving grants through the New Directions for School-Based Health Care partnership with the School-Based Health Alliance include:

National Association of Community Health Centers Grantees Community health centers receiving grants through the partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers include:

For more information, please visit www.cvscaremark.com/healthinaction .

About CVS Caremark CVS Caremark is dedicated to helping people on their path to better health as the largest integrated pharmacy company in the United States. Through the company's more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores; its leading pharmacy benefit manager serving more than 60 million plan members; and its retail health clinic system, the largest in the nation with more than 800 MinuteClinic locations, it is a market leader in mail order, retail and specialty pharmacy, retail clinics, and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As a pharmacy innovation company with an unmatched breadth of capabilities, CVS Caremark continually strives to improve health and lower costs by developing new approaches such as its unique Pharmacy Advisor program that helps people with chronic diseases such as diabetes obtain and stay on their medications. Find more information about how CVS Caremark is reinventing pharmacy for better health at http://info.cvscaremark.com/ .

About the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of more than 1,200 Free and Charitable Clinics and the people they serve in the United States.  Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of Free and Charitable Clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, as well as the patients served by Free and Charitable Clinics in communities throughout the nation. For more information, go to www.nafcclinics.org .

About the School-Based Health Alliance The School-Based Health Alliance was founded in 1995 and is the national voice for school-based health centers (SBHCs). Built from the grassroots up by individuals from state and federal government agencies, national and regional foundations, child health and education organizations, and SBHCs, we are a true reflection of the field we support. The School-Based Health Alliance advocates for national policies, programs, and funding to expand and strengthen SBHCs, while also supporting the movement with training and technical assistance. For more information, please visit www.sbh4all.org .

About the National Association of Community Health Centers Founded in 1970, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to quality, community-responsive health care for America's medically underserved and uninsured.  NACHC represents the nation's network of over 1,200 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) which serve over 22 million people through over 9,000 sites located in all of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. For more information on the National Association of Community Health Centers, please visit http://www.nachc.com/.

Joanne Dwyer, CVS Caremark
(401) 770-2898
joanne.dwyer@cvscaremark.com

Nicole Lamoureux, National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
(703) 647-7427          

Eva Pereira, for CVS Caremark
(781) 559-0424 
eva.pereira@rfbinder.com

Kyle Taylor, School-Based Health Alliance
(202) 638-5872 ext. 209
ktaylor@sbh4all.org     

Amy Simmons Farber, National Association of Community Health Centers 
(301) 347-0400    
asimmons@nachc.com