Scottsdale, Ariz. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) today announced new strategies to collaborate for health, wellness and societal solutions as part of the “constant reinvention” of NACDS.
The NACDS “Future Value Targeting” initiative – which stands to benefit NACDS chain and associate members, diverse collaborators, and society – emerged as a central theme of remarks at an NACDS Annual Meeting business program. NACDS Chairman Martin Otto, H-E-B’s chief merchant and chief financial officer, who reflected on his one-year term as chairman, and NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, described the initiative.
NACDS Chairman Martin Otto of H-E-B reviewed the progress and outlook for pharmacy’s leadership on addressing health dilemmas and societal issues
“It has meant a lot to me personally to be able to discuss the need for comprehensive, end-to-end review of the healthcare delivery system, and to work with the NACDS Board of Directors and membership to position pharmacy as a major part of the solution to many challenges facing the nation,” Otto said.
“It is vital to pursue a more sustainable approach to healthcare delivery in ways that will make it possible to also address pressing issues in education, poverty, nutrition and more. From the existing and new issues that NACDS is advancing, to the collaboration that we are pursuing with other stakeholders, NACDS continues to make tremendous progress to affirm and advance pharmacy’s leadership role on a host of critical issues.”
Anderson described ways that NACDS is poised to help address these topics.
“NACDS Future Value Targeting is a strategic planning element that will supplement the already vitally important NACDS Strategic Plan. NACDS is intensely focused on doing the right things now to deliver return-on-investment for members into the future. We are focused on assessing this operating environment, and acting like a start-up and like a think-tank to do things in new ways to deliver for this amazing industry,” Anderson said.
“The conversations of the NACDS Board of Directors kept coming back to this: ‘how can we find additional common ground, with existing and new partners, to create immediate and long-term breakthroughs – for our businesses, for our partners, and for the people we serve?’ That’s the concept of shared value, and it’s where business success aligns with societal gain.”
Imminent tactics are planned to put the NACDS Future Value Targeting initiative into motion. NACDS announced several tactics today, including the following, and more will be forthcoming:
- Efforts to bring together diverse collaborators – including think tanks, associations, government leaders, opinion leaders and other stakeholders – to create innovative healthcare, health and wellness, and well-being concepts.
- Increased attention to corporate social responsibility programs of NACDS chain and associate members.
- The packaging of new and emerging issues as part of the NACDS “Access Agenda” – which conveys the theme that just as pharmacies are highly accessible for patients nationwide, they also are accessible to policymakers for solutions with broad, bipartisan support.
- The release of opinion research commissioned by NACDS and conducted by Morning Consult – which can be broken out by state and Congressional District. The research shows the favorability and accessibility of pharmacy; the credibility of pharmacy on issues related to saving money on healthcare; the strong appreciation of the pharmacy benefit in federal programs; and the popularity of enhancing access to newer pharmacy services.
Today’s business program also included remarks by retired Four-Star Marine General John Allen, who has served in pivotal leadership roles related to the Middle East and Asia.
Otto and Anderson acknowledged Colin Mackenzie, region head Americas and area general manager North America, GSK Consumer Healthcare, who spoke this morning. GSK Consumer Healthcare and GlaxoSmithKline supported this morning’s business program. Similarly, David Pothast, US chief customer officer, Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc., is supporting and will speak at Tuesday morning’s business program.
