LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Care Pharmacies has named Kirby Lester LLC as its preferred partner for pharmacy automation technology.

Kirby Lester, which announced the partnership this week, said that under the contract it will provide its pharmacy automation to members of Care’s cooperative of retail and specialty pharmacies.

"Our decision to partner with Kirby Lester underscores our continued commitment to support our member owners with the latest technology to allow them to focus on serving their patients well," Michael Wysong, chief executive officer of Linthicum, Md.-based Care Pharmacies, said in a statement. "Kirby Lester was uniquely positioned to meet the dynamic automation needs of our organization."

After expanding its store base by more than 50% in 2011, Care added another 15 locations in 2012 and now has about 85 locations. Recognized as the nation’s sixth-fastest growing retailer in 2012, Care in recent years has extended its footprint to encompass eight states — including New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont — as well as Washington, D.C.

Kirby Lester noted that Care member pharmacies will now have access to its dispensing automation, with a focus on improving all areas of its pharmacy operations. Kirby Lester added that it offers solutions for pharmacies processing 50 prescriptions per day up to thousands of prescriptions per day, from a tablet counting device to compact, affordable robotic dispensers.

"Care went through an extensive review before selecting Kirby Lester as their preferred pharmacy technology partner," stated Garry Zage, president and CEO of Kirby Lester. "Their leadership team sought to provide the best dispensing technology for its 85 member pharmacies. With the right automation on board, each Care pharmacy can rely on technology to provide maximum efficiency and free up time for the Care staff to do what they do best: work with their patients."