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ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association heralded the withdrawal of two provisions from the Medicaid program that would have had retail pharmacies selling generic drugs at a loss.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. Sam’s Club locations on Wednesday kicked off “Hugo Salutes Our Veterans,” a national program that will provide 36,000 Hugo folding canes free of charge to U.S. military veterans in need of mobility assistance.

ARLINGTON, Va. The Food Marketing Institute announced Wednesday the creation of the Center of Excellence for Food Safety and Protection, uniting food safety experts and professionals from government relations, asset protection, food defense, supply chain management, health and wellness, sustainability and industry relations to address all aspects of food safety.

WASHINGTON Save Flexible Spending Plans — a national grassroots advocacy organization sponsored by the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation — on Thursday called on the new leaders in Congress to follow through on their campaign promises and fix problems with the healthcare-reform law, including the removal of to-be-imposed restrictions on employer-provided flexible spending accounts.

BELLEVUE, Wash. Drugstore.com on Tuesday released a statement reminding flexible spending account participants that they need to use the money left in their accounts by the end of the year or they will lose it.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Budget cuts in Washington state to its Medicaid programs have created a “perilous situation” for retail pharmacies and their patients, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores warned on Wednesday, and could “pose danger as a precedent for other states across the nation as well,” according to the group.

NEW YORK Rumors have surfaced that wholesaler BJ's is looking to sell.

The news first was reported by the New York Post, which cited a source close to the matter. The report said that BJ's is looking to hire an adviser to aid its business-making decisions, including a possible sale to a private equity, naming Los Angeles-based firm Leonard Green & Partners as its likely buyer.

SEATTLE Amazon.com announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Quidsi, which operates Diapers.com, an online baby care specialty site, and Soap.com, an online site for everyday essentials.

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, said, “This acquisition brings together two companies who are committed to providing great prices and fast delivery to parents, making one of the chores of being a parent a little easier and less expensive.”

NEW YORK Citi on Tuesday announced the launch of the Citi Flu Care card, a new corporate healthcare payment solution from Citi's Global Transaction Services. The Citi Flu Care card is a payment service designed to help employers reduce employee healthcare spending by shifting the administration of flu shots from doctors' offices or on-site clinics to more cost-effective pharmacy locations.

LOS ANGELES Two supermarket chains owned by Kroger announced their fundraising efforts to benefit local food banks.

Ralph's and Food 4 Less said that they are collecting donations to help local food banks and families in need through their checkstand canisters. Each retailer kicked off their respective Bringing Hope to the Table initiatives, which include an annual cause-marketing partnership with Feeding America that generated more than $200,000 for Feeding America-affiliated food banks this year.

BALA CYNWYD, Pa. A zero-calorie enhanced water brand will be available at 55 Big Y Foods in Massachusetts and Connecticut this month.

Skinny Water currently is available at Safeway stores nationwide. The addition of Big Y increased the total retail store count to 7,079 stores nationwide, up from approximately 4,200 retail outlets at year's end 2009.