BROOKS ECKERD PHARMACY WORKS WITH TAKE CARE Health SystemsSM TO PROVIDE IN-STORE NURSE PRACTITIONER HEALTH CARE SERVICES
09.07.05
Longueuil Qc, September 7, 2005 — The Jean Coutu Group (PJC), Inc., the fourth largest drugstore chain in North America, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) USA, Inc. ("PJC USA" or "the Company" which operates under the name Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy), has entered into an agreement with Take Care Health Systems, LLC ("Take Care") to open Take Care Health Centers in the Company's drugstores in multiple markets. Take Care Health Centers employ certified nurse practitioners to provide diagnosis and to treat a variety of common family illnesses and administer vaccines and screenings.
Take Care Health Centers' Nurse Practitioners will utilize sophisticated medical software to follow clear clinical protocols based on guidelines established by the medical community to diagnose, treat, and write commonly-used prescriptions for standard family illnesses in each Care Center. Illnesses treated by Take Care Nurse Practitioners include strep throat, eye, ear and sinus infections, seasonal allergies, poison ivy and other skin rashes, insect bites and urinary tract infections. In addition to the already offered Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy patient health care services, Take Care Health Centers will provide diagnostic screenings for conditions such as diabetes and cholesterol, as well as sports physicals. Vaccinations to be offered include those for tetanus, diphtheria, influenza and meningitis.
"Our agreement with Take Care further illustrates our company's goal to be the primary supplier of pharmacy and health care services in the communities served by our network," said Michel Coutu, President and CEO of PJC USA. "We share Take Care's commitment to the highest standards of customer service and best practices to ensure delivery of high quality care. This in an extremely convenient and accessible setting for all consumers in our communities. We see our Pharmacists working with the nurse practitioner as an opportunity to enhance the outstanding care provided to our customers."
"Take Care differentiates itself by truly taking a team-based approach with other key health care providers in order to function as a much-needed complement to primary care, not as a replacement for it," said Dr. Regina Baime, Take Care's Chief Medical Officer. "Our goal is to provide highly accessible, high quality, patient-centered care."
Take Care Nurse Practitioners will have the ability to contact a Take Care physician or a local collaborating physician for consultation, and will work with the Brooks Eckerd pharmacists to provide attentive and high quality patient care. Doctor David Nash, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and Chairman of the Take Care National Medical Advisory Board, commented, "The Take Care model foreshadows the emergence of a more efficient health care system by providing affordable high-quality, convenient care for those within the system, and offering quality access to care for individuals who need it most."
Take Care Health Centers are planned for selected Brooks Eckerd drugstores in markets throughout the 18 East Coast states, where Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy operates.
About The Jean Coutu Group
The Jean Coutu Group (PJC), Inc. (TSX: PJC.SV.A) is the fourth largest drugstore chain in North America and the second largest in both the eastern United States and Canada. The Company and its combined network of 2,171 corporate and affiliated drugstores (under the banners of Brooks and Eckerd, PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique and PJC Santé Beauté) employ more than 60,000 people.
The Jean Coutu Group's United States operations employ over 46,000 persons and comprise 1,850 corporate owned stores located in 18 states of the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Jean Coutu Group's Canadian operations and drugstores affiliated to its network employ over 14,000 people and comprise 321 PJC Jean Coutu franchised stores in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.
About Take Care Health SystemsSM
By working with national retail pharmacies across the nation, focusing on collaboration with traditional healthcare channels and leveraging best–in-class technology, Take Care Health Systems of Conshohocken, PA is bringing high-quality, convenient and affordable healthcare to all Americans. Take Care's vision is to marry best practices in medicine and the expertise and personal care of Take Care Nurse Practitioners with world-class customer service, filling a critical need in America by providing easy access to healthcare. The company's Nurse Practitioners focus exclusively on diagnosis, treatment, screenings and vaccinations for common family illnesses. From providing an easy entry point to healthcare to a pathway to electronic medical records, Take Care believes its care model has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery – both by bringing more individuals into healthcare and ultimately lowering costs within the system. The firm was co-founded by noted entrepreneur Hal Rosenbluth, a travel industry expert on customer service, and skilled consumer marketing executive, Peter Miller, a former Johnson & Johnson consumer healthcare leader. For more information on the company please visit www.takecarehealth.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The words "looking forward," "looking ahead," "believe(s)," "should," "may," "expect(s)," "anticipate(s)," "likely," "opportunity," and similar expressions, among others, identify forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Key Contacts:
Source
The Jean Coutu Group (PJC), Inc.
C. Daniel Haron
Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy
Dan.haron@brooks-rx.com
(401) 468-2871
Information
Hélène Bisson
Media and Public Relations
(514) 393-1180, ext. 343
1-877-894-8993
Michael Murray
Director, Investor Relations
The Jean Coutu Group (PJC), Inc.
(450) 646-9611, ext. 1068
Lauren Tierney
Manager, Marketing Strategy and Communications
Take Care Health Systems, LLC
(484) 351-3212
Darren Brandt
For Take Care Health Systems, LLC
(212) 446-1861