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CSR Minute Special Report: McKesson's Carrie Varoquiers on CSR

Opened in June 2009, McKesson's newest pharmaceutical distribution center (DC) is the company's first to receive LEED new construction certification. Among its environmentally friendly features are its use of recycled building materials, low-flow water fixtures, natural landscaping, motion-controlled lighting and parking for fuel-efficient vehicles.

The new DC is larger than average, with 280,000 sq. ft. of space on the main floor and an additional 60,000 sq. ft of floor space on a second-story mezzanine. It serves more than 1,500 customers.

The DC showcases technology designed to improve the efficiency of warehouse operations. It includes two A-frame units, which enable automated picking of fast-moving products.

It is also the first McKesson DC to use a “Pick-to-Light” system, which guides order fillers down the line by lighting the appropriate product shelves.

“The Pick-to-Light system will make our picking more efficient,” explained Ammie Rabicke, Chicagoland’s director of Operations. “Because it’s so easy to learn, this will be a good place to start new hires.”

Ammie continued, “We’re all extremely excited to move into the new DC, with new technology that will help us provide even better service to our customers.”

Either through company-sponosred Environmental Councils or through their everyday jobs, McKesson employees are helping the company to reduce its environmental impact and deliver cost savings. In the company's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, McKesson features stories that demonstrate the company's commitment to environmental sustainability.

McKesson's Environmental Councils

In 2008, McKesson formally launched a network of McKesson Environmental Councils. What began as a pilot program in 2006 in the San Francisco location has expanded into a group of company-sponsored Environmental Councils around the world. By the end of Fiscal Year 2009, 12 McKesson Environmental Councils tackled sustainability projects such as the following:

• Installing projectors in conference rooms to reduce the need for printed materials

• De-lamping efforts to take advantage of natural light and reduce energy consumption

• Hosting environmental fairs to help educate employees about local environmental resources

• Organizing local volunteer events such as beach clean-ups

At the end of Fiscal Year 2009, eight months after the company began tracking their financial impacts, the McKesson Environmental Councils were responsible for projects that resulted in nearly $100,000 in savings.

Individual Employee Efforts

Also detailed in the company's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report are examples of indivdiual employees whose work contributes to McKesson's environmental sustainability strategy, including:

• Clayton Crawford, head of McKesson's facilities operations, explains the company's approach to solar and other alternative energy technology. 

• John Foley and Tommy Morris's initiative, through which McKesson is able to recycle more than 100,000 lbs. of plastic pill bottles annually.

• Vince Manno's reusable packaging innovation saves McKesson approximately $17,000 each year.

• Julia Rexin and Dean Wetherbee's work to launch the "Eco-InterQual" campaign, offering customers a more environmentally friendly product.

• Yoichi Miyazaki's work as part of McKesson's corporate procurement team, which helps guide employees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Supporting Small, Minority-owned and Veteran-owned Businesses

McKesson recognizes the outstanding contributions made by small and diverse businesses to the economic health and diversity of communities throughout the United States. We offer minority-owned and women-owned small business healthcare suppliers the opportunity to enter into a mentoring relationship. Since 1994, these relationships have provided small business suppliers with extraordinary marketing and business management guidance, enabling them to expand their sales within the nation's healthcare supply chain.

One of our notable partnerships is with Veterans Imaging Products, a Disabled Vietnam Veteran-owned and -operated small business.  Tom Schultz, founder of Veterans Imagaing Products, says about McKesson, "I can honestly say they're the top corporation that I've met in America as far as trying to do business with veterans." He explains the support his company has received through partnering with McKesson in a video: http://sites.mckesson.com/citizenshipreport/our-voices-contentId16.asp.

2009 McKesson Community Days Project Supports Hospitalized Veterans

In Fiscal Year 2009, nearly half of McKesson’s 32,000 employees participated in the Company’s annual Community Days volunteer event. This year's project focused on creating care packages for hospitalized veterans at VA medical centers. In conjunction with National Volunteer Week, McKesson employees provided veterans with some of their most requested items, including a fleece blanket, personal hygiene items, a tote bag, and perhaps most important: a note of thanks for their service. Hundreds of McKesson sites worldwide participated in this effort, creating more than 16,000 care packages. 

“As a veteran myself, this cause is especially close to my heart, and McKesson’s support of our country’s veterans makes me extremely proud,” said John Figueroa , former U.S. Army Captain and current President of McKesson’s U.S. Pharmaceutical business.

Employee participation in Community Days has grown 500% in since Fiscal Year 2004.

More information on McKesson's 2009 Community Days event including multimedia elements are available in an online press kit at www.mckesson.com/communitydays

More information about McKesson's Corporate Citizenship efforts is available in the Company's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report at www.mckesson.com/citizenshipreport

Detailed information regarding McKesson's community investment efforts is included in McKesson's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, available at www.mckesson.com/citizenshipreport. Highlights  are included below.

Community Days
In Fiscal Year 2009, nearly half of McKesson’s 32,000 employees participated in the Company’s annual Community Days volunteer event. At hundreds of sites worldwide McKesson Community Days volunteers created more than 16,000 care packages for hospitalized veterans at VA medical centers. Employee participation in Community Days has grown 500% in since Fiscal Year 2004. More information on McKesson's 2009 Community Days event including multimedia elements are available in an online press kit at www.mckesson.com/communitydays

Caregiver Kits
Since 2006, McKesson has partnered with humanitarian organization World Vision to provide more than 175,000 World Vision Caregiver Kits to local community caregivers who care for those living with AIDS in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Company's expertise and infrastructure in distributing medical-surgical supplies have allowed McKesson to negotiate dramatic discounts with suppliers on the kits' contents, passing these savings on to the community groups — schools, churches and businesses — that purchase materials and assemble the kits for World Vision to distribute in remote areas of developing countries.

McKesson Foundation Strategic Focus on Chronic Disease Management
Established in 1943, the McKesson Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations working to improve the communities where the Company operates. In Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, the McKesson Foundation donated nearly $10 million, primarily to healthcare-related nonprofit organizations and to support employees' community involvement efforts. 
 
In Fiscal Year 2010, the McKesson Foundation announced a new strategy to focus on chronic disease management. By combining the Foundation’s cash donations with McKesson Corporation’s deep institutional health care services and IT expertise, the program seeks to further the social impact that can be achieved. The Foundation’s near-term commitment is to fund innovative diabetes management projects.
 
During this challenging economic environment the Foundation has also expanded its matching gift program for employees and opened it up to all eligible 501(c)(3) organizations. For more information about the McKesson Foundation visit www.mckesson.com/foundation.

McKesson Corporation, the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare services and IT company, today announced the release of its 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report and launched the McKesson Foundation’s new strategic focus on chronic disease management. Designed to minimize paper and energy usage, the Company’s new online-only interactive report tells McKesson’s corporate citizenship story through the voices of McKesson employees and stakeholders. McKesson’s Corporate Citizenship Report is available at www.mckesson.com/citizenshipreport.

McKesson’s 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report
McKesson’s 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report highlights the Company’s high levels of employee engagement, commitment to environmental sustainability, culture of diversity and inclusion, and industry leading efforts to improve the safety, quality, and cost of healthcare. Corporate social responsibility principles are embedded within McKesson’s mission and focused goal of helping its customers improve patients' lives. For example, in the last year nearly half of McKesson’s 32,000 employees participated in the Company’s annual Community Days volunteer event. At hundreds of sites worldwide McKesson Community Days volunteers created more than 16,000 care packages for hospitalized veterans at VA medical centers. 

McKesson’s environmental sustainability journey, while still in its initial stages, has already yielded rewards for the planet and the Company, including a better understanding of McKesson’s greenhouse gas emissions, cost savings and employee participation. In 2008 McKesson established an executive-level Environmental Council and then launched a network of 12 employee-led Environmental Councils at McKesson sites around the world. After only eight months, McKesson Environmental Councils were responsible for projects that not only reduced the Company’s environmental impact but also resulted in nearly $100,000 in cost savings. In August McKesson also unveiled it’s first LEED-certified pharmaceutical distribution center located in the Chicago, Ill. area.

“At McKesson our belief is that a commitment to good corporate citizenship is a fundamental part of creating sustained value for both society and the company,” said Carrie Varoquiers, vice president of corporate citizenship and president of the McKesson Foundation. “McKesson’s corporate citizenship work complements the Company’s goal of helping our customers improve patients’ lives.”

Information within McKesson’s 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report is framed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Guidelines, internationally recognized sustainability and social responsibility reporting standards. McKesson self-declares this Report to GRI application level C. A full list of GRI indicators and McKesson's reporting on these indicators is available in the Corporate Citizenship Report’s GRI Index. McKesson publishes its Corporate Citizenship Report biennially and released its last report in fall 2007.
 
McKesson Foundation Strategic Focus on Chronic Disease Management
In conjunction with the Company’s Corporate Citizenship Report release, the McKesson Foundation announced a new strategy to focus on chronic disease management. By combining the Foundation’s cash donations with McKesson Corporation’s deep institutional health care services and IT expertise, the program seeks to further the social impact that can be achieved. The Foundation’s near-term commitment is to fund innovative diabetes management projects.
 
During this challenging economic environment the Foundation has also expanded its matching gift program for employees and opened it up to all eligible 501(c)(3) organizations. For more information about the McKesson Foundation visit www.mckesson.com/foundation.