The Home Depot Launches Long-Term Relief Recovery; Walgreens Deals With Heavy Rx Demand

Atlanta, The Home Depot today launched its “Rebuilding Hope & Homes” initiative, the second phase of its response to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Through customer contributions and a match of up to $1 million by the chain, the program will fund health and human service programs for disaster victims and support the refurbishment and construction of affordable housing for individuals displaced by the storm.

In other developments, in response to heavy Rx demand in the storm-affected areas, the Walgreen Co., the largest retail prescription provider in New Orleans, announced it has activated a new, proprietary pharmacy computer system that allows some of the steps in the prescription-filing process to be done by Walgreen pharmacies in other areas. Prior to the hurricane, the system was only being tested in Florida.