WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has been named as the national sponsor of the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA’s) National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC).

NISC is a national network for senior center professionals that supports efforts to improve the aging experience in all communities. CVS Caremark Corp. said Thursday that during National Senior Center Month in September its retail pharmacy unit will provide targeted educational and cost-saving opportunities for seniors focused on flu prevention and health and wellness.

"NCOA and NISC have long been an important resource for senior centers and the dedicated professionals who make them successful," Rob Price, senior vice president of marketing and advertising for CVS/pharmacy, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be the leading sponsor of this national network of community organizations that provides vital services to thousands of seniors every day."

NISC provides national standards and accreditation to thousands of senior center facilities, as well as an online community network — known as Crossroads — for senior center professionals to share best practice information.

"As the only national organization solely focused on the needs of senior center professionals, we are pleased to partner with CVS/pharmacy to support the needs of local senior centers and their members," commented Stuart Spector, senior vice president at NCOA, a nonprofit service and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

CVS Caremark said CVS/pharmacy has collaborated with NCOA since 2007 when they created the "Prescription for Better Health" campaign for seniors to provide health education, information on disease prevention and access to benefits.

As part of that campaign, CVS/pharmacy has offered the "Pack Your Bag" program at senior centers nationwide. Through the initiative, seniors are invited to bring their medications for review and personalized counseling with a pharmacist. CVS/pharmacy has conducted over 1,500 events involving more than 30,000 individual senior counseling sessions over the past two years.