Content about North Carolina

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion is continuing its 17-year corporate partnership with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and once again serving as a sponsor, along with Thompson Hospitality, of the CIAA Women's Health and Wellness Symposium.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Specialty pharmacy services provider MedPro Rx announced that it has expanded its Web portal.

The portal, which can be accessed on the company's website, provides patients, physicians, nurses and case managers with the ability to access targeted content to review medical records and clinical follow-up, drug dispensing/refill and shipping history. The portal also can be used as a tool to communicate with the clinical staff at MedPro Rx and utilizes a secure, password-protected customer log-in to allow for privacy of information and ease of use for clients.

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion announced Friday that it would add more of its MVP savings center kiosks to help customers save on their grocery bills.

MVP savings center kiosks, which are part of Food Lion's MVP customer loyalty card program, were introduced in stores last year. Since their introduction, kiosk coupons have up to five times the redemption rate when compared with coupons delivered via traditional distribution channels, Food Lion said.

Money-saving coupon kiosks also can be found at Bloom and at Harveys.

SALISBURY, N.C. — The Food Lion Family and Bloom have recognized Scott Brinson as the recipient of the 2010 store manager excellence award. Brinson, who is the store manager of a Food Lion in Jacksonville, N.C., was selected from a group of seven other market/banner winners.

The store manager excellence awards are a key part of Food Lion Family's and Bloom's efforts to acknowledge the leadership role store managers play. Food Lion Family president Cathy Green Burns presented Brinson with the award earlier this week during the company's Leadership Summit.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Two pharmacy trade groups already have given their blessings to legislation that would support medication therapy management, and a retail pharmacy chain that has made MTM part of its mission is following suit.

Kerr Drug announced its support for the Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2011, which Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., recently introduced. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association endorsed the bill last week.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., argued before the Senate Thursday around the value that increased access to medication therapy management can deliver to overall health care — that includes cutting into the $290 billion in annual costs associated with medication nonadherence and preventing as many as 89,000 premature deaths.

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated the nation’s influenza status. Nine states are reporting high influenza-like activity (a metric that captures the severity of a flu outbreak) and 25 states are reporting widespread activity (a metric that captures the estimated level of spread of influenza activity through state and territorial epidemiologists reports.)

HOUSTON — Drank has expanded its distribution to the Carolinas.

The makers of Drank, Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, said that Adam's Beverage, an independent distributor, will bring the relaxation beverage to North Carolina, as well as to additional cities in South Carolina.

Drank hit the market in early 2008.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Save-A-Lot announced that it will break ground for a new 325,000-sq.-ft. food distribution center in Lexington, N.C.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores announced that it has named Paul White to the position of SVP apparel, home and seasonal. White will report to Dorlisa Flur, EVP and chief merchandising officer.

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion family of stores and Bottom Dollar Food donated a record 1.5 million lbs. of food to local food banks.

The retailers kicked off their eighth annual Hunger Has a Cure campaign, and sold roughly 250,000 boxes in the effort, which ran from Nov. 17 to Dec. 28, 2010.

The food was donated to food banks affiliated with Feeding America.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Kerr Drug, North Carolina’s regional pharmacy power, had a busy year in 2010. After shedding 11 stores in the Charleston, S.C., market in 2009, the 90-store chain turned its full focus to serving the healthcare needs of North Carolina’s population.


It was, in retrospect, a wise move. Kerr has launched a series of initiatives in pharmacy care, store design, community health services and iPhone technology at a breathtaking pace, easily sustaining its reputation as one of chain pharmacy’s leading innovators.