March of Dimes names CVS CEO Citizen of the Year

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — CVS Caremark president and CEO Larry Merlo has been named the 2013 March of Dimes Rhode Island 2013 Citizen of the Year for his and the company’s ongoing support of the March of Dimes mission.

Merlo will be honored for the achievement at a June 18 reception held at the Providence Public Library. The recognition and fundraising event will take place as part of the 75th anniversary year of March of Dimes and the 50th anniversary year of the pharmacy innovation company.

The celebration honoring Merlo is being chaired by Deborah Thomas, CFO of Hasbro and 2010 recipient of the March of Dimes Citizen of the Year award, and will include guest speakers Jennifer Howse, president of the national March of Dimes Foundation, and James Roosevelt Jr., CEO of Tufts Health Plan and grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who founded the March of Dimes to bring an end to polio 75 years ago.

“The support that CVS Caremark has provided to the March of Dimes for over a dozen years has been vital in helping the organization fulfill its mission of working together for stronger, healthier babies. Through Larry’s leadership and the company’s commitment to being an incredible community partner, the nation’s tiniest human beings are being given a boost for a healthy start in life,” Thomas stated.

Thomas emphasized the “tremendous state, regional and national support that CVS Caremark has provided to March of Dimes over the years,” highlighting several initiatives, including the company’s support of the March of Dimes of Rhode Island NICU Family Support Project and the March of Dimes Mom and Baby Mobile Health Units. The Project, which Hasbro joins CVS Caremark as staunch supporters of, assists more than 1,100 families annually at Women and Infants Hospital, providing them with information and comfort during the NICU hospitalization of newborns, and help during the transition to home and in the event of death. The Mobile Health Units provide services for women and children in rural areas around the country.

Merlo, who has more than 30 years of pharmacy health care experience, stated, “It's an honor to be recognized, and I commend the March of Dimes for the work they are doing to help expectant moms and ensure they have the healthiest babies. Our purpose of helping people on their path to better health aligns with the March of Dimes' mission, and we couldn't be more proud of our long-standing partnership to improve health outcomes for children and families in our home state.”