Rite Aid Partners With American Association Of Colleges Of Pharmacy To Promote Pharmacy As A Profession

3,800 Rite Aid Stores Nationwide Encourage Customers to Consider a Career in Pharmacy

Website Traffic At American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Doubles

Camp Hill, PA, June 21, 2000 - Rite Aid Corporation has teamed up with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to try to increase interest in careers in pharmacy by providing consumers with resources to learn more about one of the most trusted professions.

In February, Rite Aid's 3,800 stores nationwide launched a newly designed prescription bag that encourages customers to consider a career in pharmacy by asking their Rite Aid pharmacist, visiting Rite Aid's web site (http://www.riteaid.com), or contacting AACP by phone, mail or through their website (http://www.aacp.org).

Michele Belsey, Director of College and Professional Recruitment for Rite Aid said, "Rite Aid is a company that is committed to the profession of pharmacy and to making sure that there are enough pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care to patients. We created the program in order to encourage people to learn more about a career in the field of pharmacy. Since we initiated the program, interest from potential candidates through Rite Aid and AACP has been tremendous."

Since the beginning of the campaign in February, daily visits to the AACP website have doubled and continue to increase. Rite Aid plans to make the pharmacy bag message permanent.

In addition to the pharmacy bag initiative, Rite Aid continues to encourage people to pursue a career in pharmacy through recruitment at high schools, community colleges & technical schools, and during health fairs across the United States. In October 1999, Rite Aid hosted a conference bringing together Rite Aid executives and deans, associate deans, and faculty members from 67 of the 82 national pharmacy schools. The conference allowed participants to discuss and learn about key topics of mutual interest and helped to foster a two-way dialogue between Rite Aid and pharmacy school faculty.

"We are very pleased to collaborate with Rite Aid in this important and successful recruitment venture. Pharmacy is a rewarding profession and it is expanding to meet the growing demands of a changing and expanding health care system. We welcome all students who are interested in health careers to investigate pharmacy as an exciting career choice," said Richard Penna, AACP Executive Vice President.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is the national organization representing the interests of pharmaceutical education and educators. Comprising all 82 U.S. pharmacy colleges and schools including more than 4,000 faculty, 36,000 students enrolled in professional programs, and 3,600 individuals pursuing graduate study, AACP is committed to excellence in pharmaceutical education.

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