During President Obama’s State of the Union address on January 20, CVS Health President and CEO Larry Merlo sat in the box with Michelle Obama and was recognized by the president.

During his speech, the president made a direct reference to CVS Health, drawing attention to the pharmacy chain’s work in offering educational benefits and paid apprenticeships, which could give employees the opportunity to have higher-paying jobs without higher education.

I’d like to congratulate CVS Health, and many other pharmacies, for providing educational benefits to their staff to help them have better jobs with better pay. During the speech, CVS Health tweeted that it has placed more than 1,500 workers in registered apprenticeship career tracks nationwide.  The president’s recognition was an acknowledgement of the value that community pharmacies provide to the economic and health care improvement of the communities they serve.

Last year, CVS Health made the decision to stop selling tobacco products and join the other pharmacies who had made similar decisions for the health benefits of their customers. 

In light of these and other accomplishments, APhA has named CVS Health the recipient of the 2015 H.A.B. Dunning Award, an award bestowed upon a member of the pharmacy industry by the profession of pharmacy in recognition of their contributions to the practice of pharmacy and association.

CVS Health has been a longtime partner in a number of APhA initiatives, including the development of patient care skills of student pharmacists through sponsorship of the APhA–ASP National Patient Counseling Competition.