CVS Focuses on Women’s Health and Wellness in May
CVS Health has launched new initiatives to support women's health and wellness in May and also mark National Blood Pressure month. The retail pharmacy chain will offer no-cost heart health screenings from May 9 through May 15 at its MinuteClinic locations to help women understand their risk for heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women.
"Women have taken on even more during the pandemic and have had less time to prioritize preventive care," said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP, corporate social responsibility and philanthropy and chief sustainability officer for CVS Health. "As we celebrate moms and all the women in our lives this month, we want to make it easier for women to care for themselves and meet their health-and-wellness needs."
To help make preventive care more convenient and accessible, patients can visit one of CVS Health's approximately 1,100 MinuteClinic locations from May 9 through May 15 to receive a no-cost Know Your Numbers heart health screening. When they're screened, patients will learn five key personal health numbers that can help them determine their risk for heart disease: cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index.
"We know that nearly 80% of cardiac events can be prevented, yet many women don't have the awareness about this disease to understand and prevent their risk," said Angela Patterson, chief nurse practitioner officer at MinuteClinic. "That's why offering these free heart health screenings is so important, especially this year when so many people have put off care."
In addition to the free heart health screenings, CVS Pharmacy will provide accessible solutions and special offers to support women's physical and mental well-being. Until May 22, ExtraCare Rewards program members will receive deals on women's wellness items in-store, including weekly promotions for products in a variety of categories such as vitamins, skin care, and feminine care and beauty products to help women feel their best.
CVS is also continuing its support of Go Red for Women by raising funds for the movement. “Advancing women's health is a key driver of CVS Health's longtime support of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement, which we are proud to again support this May,” said Boone.
From May 2 through May 29, CVS customers can make a $1, $3 or larger donation at stores nationwide or online at www.cvshealth.com/GoRed. Since teaming up with the Dallas-based American Heart Association in 2017, CVS Health has raised nearly $20 million to help fight cardiovascular disease.
These efforts are part of CVS' overall commitment to making women's health care more accessible, affordable, simpler and more personalized to meet women's unique health-and-wellness needs during each stage of their lives.
As part of its bigger-picture strategy, CVS released its Transform Health 2030 strategy on March 31. CVS will use its strengths as a health care leader to satisfy its four priority areas: Healthy People, Healthy Business, Healthy Community and Healthy Planet.
"Our Transform Health 2030 strategy and the accompanying goals will allow us to extend our commitment into the future and address the health impacts that we'll face for years to come," said Boone.
With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in in North America.
