PALM BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Host, senior vice president of Walmart health, wellness and pharmacy and new chair of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, considers retail pharmacists to be in the early stages of “our journey to create the next generation of pharmacies, where technology and personalized care intersect.”

“We are creating what the next era of pharmacy will look like, and the brush strokes of our picture will come from creating, advocating and collaborating,” Host said in remarks at the NACDS Annual Meeting here last month as he accepted the chair’s gavel from Mike Wysong, chief executive officer of CARE Pharmacies.

Walmart, which opened its first in-store pharmacy in 1978, now has more than 4,600 pharmacies in the United States. Host was instrumental in introducing the retailer’s Testing and Treatment program that expanded pharmacists’ role by allowing them to treat customers for flu, COVID-19, strep throat and other conditions and then offer in-store treatment options.

Retail pharmacies are well positioned to “create transformational experiences over transactional experiences,” Host said in his NACDS remarks.

“We’ve evolved from providing ice cream and herbal remedies to over-the-counter drugs, nutritional supplements, continuous glucose monitoring, self-testing and more,” he said. “Together, we are there for what people want and, more so, what they need. We all care for the same customers and, together, no one can do it better.”

Host lauded NACDS’ history as an industry disruptor. “From embracing technology to championing initiatives, NACDS has enabled pharmacies to become true health care destinations,” he asserted. “We’ve seen NACDS pivot, reinvent itself and spearhead change in ways not many organizations can.”

Added Host, “Watching NACDS propel efforts that have a ripple effect on health and wellness in communities all over this country is not only impressive, it’s empowering.”

Walgreens chief pharmacy officer Rick Gates was elected NACDS vice chair at the meeting, and Dave Warner, president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, was elected treasurer. Each will serve one-year terms. Warner and Rite Aid chief pharmacy officer Karen Staniforth were appointed to the NACDS executive committee.

NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson joined Wysong in conveying clear and consistent priorities for the association, including efforts to protect and enhance access to pharmacy services; securing PBM reform; advancing new retail health and wellness initiatives such as “food is medicine”; leveraging the power of NACDS meetings and conferences; and serving the industry and nation well in the face of what the executives said is yet another generational moment.