By David Ortiz
Contributing Writer
CVS/pharmacy, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, has earned national recognition for its achievements in employing people with disabilities.
The Woonsocket-based company received the 2006 New Freedom Initiative Award, given annually by the U.S. Department of Labor to an employer that demonstrates exemplary efforts to recruit, hire and promote people with disabilities.
Speaking at an Oct. 26 ceremony to honor CVS and other award winners, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao said she was pleased to “recognize the employers, organizations and individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to equal access and opportunity for Americans with disabilities.”
“Americans with disabilities are a valuable part of our work force,” Chao continued.
CVS says that between 2004 and 2005, the number of its employees who receive Supplemental Security Income – a federal benefit for the disabled – rose by 160 percent.
The company operates several training initiatives and specialized programs aimed at recruiting employees with disabilities and accommodating their specific needs once they are hired, CVS spokeswoman Carolyn Castel said.
And CVS tailors its pharmacies and administrative offices to make the company more accessible to workers with disabilities. In addition, it partners with the Department of Labor, the Easter Seals, Goodwill Industries and many other organizations nationwide to recruit and train people with disabilities.
One such partnership is with the New Vision Photography Program, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that provides training in digital photography to adults with developmental disabilities. Since 2005, CVS has trained and hired 12 New Vision graduates as photo assistants.
Under another recent partnership, with the U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy, high school students with developmental disabilities are trained at CVS stores in Ocala, Fla. The pilot program is currently expanding to several other cities across the nation.
“CVS/pharmacy is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse company,” CVS Senior Vice President of Human Resources V. Michael Ferdinandi said in a statement. “We have benefited tremendously from the talent and dedication of our employees with disabilities.”
In addition to CVS/pharmacy, this year’s winners of the fifth annual New Freedom Initiative Award include one individual, four nonprofits, and three other corporations – Aetna Inc., Highmark Inc. and Raytheon Missile Systems.
