Aug 12, 2013

SEATTLE - August 12, 2013 - At its annual Retail Business Conference in Seattle, Wash., Cardinal Health named Chris Geronsin, owner of Beverly Hills Pharmacy of St. Louis, Mo., as the recipient of its Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award.

The annual award, which honors a retail independent pharmacist who promotes the ideals of community pharmacy, was created in honor of Tampa, Fla., independent pharmacist Ken Wurster, who passed away in 2008. Wurster was highly regarded for his commitment to serving his customers, epitomizing the role of a pharmacist who took responsibility for the wellness of his community.

Independent pharmacists and Cardinal Health employees were encouraged to submit nominations for this award, and all nominees were judged on a variety of criteria, including:

  • Community leadership and involvement
  • Ability to inspire others
  • Willingness to go above and beyond the day-to-day operations of a retail independent pharmacy to make their community a better place to live

All nominations were evaluated by members of Cardinal Health's National Retail Advisory Board (NRAB) and a team of Cardinal Health employees. The five finalists were sent to an executive committee including Cardinal Health leadership and NRAB members who together selected Geronsin for his extraordinary community commitment.

Geronsin serves on the board of directors of the Missouri Pharmacy Association, Cardinal Health National Advisory Board and as president of the Regional Cardinal Health Advisory Board. He also serves as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer for the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and has provided a wide array of volunteer and support services to the St. Louis Area Agency on Ageing and the St. Louis Chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. In addition, Geronsin supports the St. Vincent's Home for Children, Helena Hatch Special Care Center, and A Network of Communities of the Poor (ANCOP), helping to build 40 homes for needy families in the Philippines.

In honor of Geronsin's commitment to community service, Cardinal Health will donate $10,000 to the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in honor of his daughter, Rachel Geronsin.

Additional finalists for the 2013 Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award include:

  • Beverly Schaefer - Katterman's Sand Point Pharmacy in Seattle, Wash.
  • Bhavana Patel - Hina's Mercy Southwest Pharmacy in Bakersfield, Calif.
  • Joel Rosenfeld - North Florida Pharmacy in Lake City, Fla.
  • Paula Wakeland - Hewitt - Davidson Drugs in Sarasota, Fla.

About the Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC)
The Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference (RBC), held August 7-10 in Seattle, provides independent pharmacies and pharmacy franchise owners with the opportunity to network with and learn from thousands of their peers from across the nation, while gaining new insights to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their businesses. The annual event provides independent pharmacy owners, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy industry professionals across the United States with access to pharmaceutical manufacturers, buying opportunities, continuing education sessions and programs to help pharmacists reduce costs and improve patient care and efficiency. For more information, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/RBC.

About Cardinal Health

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $101 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products and services to more than 100,000 locations each day and is also the industry-leading direct-to-home medical supplies distributor. The company is a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company operates the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs 34,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at www.cardinalhealth.com  and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.

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