Walgreen Co. restructures health care and wellness unit, combines with pharmacy operations

Walgreen combines pharmacy, wellness divisions

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Drugstore chain operator Walgreen Co. said Monday that it is restructuring its health care division to integrate sales efforts for both its pharmacy and wellness services operations.

Under the new structure, the company is unifying its sales teams for both its health and wellness division, which currently operates Walgreen’s in-store clinics and health centers, and pharmacy benefit management service.

Led by Kermit Crawford, Walgreen’s pharmacy division — which oversees retail pharmacy operations — will now take responsibility for long-term care pharmacies, specialty pharmacy, infusion pharmacy and mail-service pharmacy as well as home-care services. Those operations previously were part of the Walgreens Health Services division.

Joe Terrion, currently chief client officer responsible for the company’s health and wellness division sales, will now lead the combined pharmacy, health and wellness sales and client services operations. Terrion will continue to report to Hal F. Rosenbluth, president of the company’s health and wellness division.

“Kermit and Hal will bring together all our pharmacy, health and wellness services and take them to the marketplace as a single, robust integrated offering,” said Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson. The move is expected to reduce overhead costs as some overlapping jobs are eliminated.

Stanley B. Blaylock, president of Walgreens Health Services, will leave the company in April after a transition period. Blaylock was a co-founder and CEO of Medmark Specialty Pharmacy Solutions before the company was acquired by Walgreen in 2006. He intends to pursue new opportunities in the health care field.

Walgreen, based in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Ill., has been on a shopping spree in recent months, snapping up the 250-plus stores of Duane Reade in New York in February just one month after buying 25 Snyder’s Drug stores in the Minneapolis area.

Company shares rose 18 cents to close at $35.42.