Cranston pharmacy manager recognized for development of rapid test kiosk

By EMMA BARTLETT
Posted 8/9/22

Kaitlyn Pouliot, 29, pursued pharmacy as a way to combine her love of science/chemistry and finding a way to help people. Now a pharmacy manager at CVS on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, Pouliot played …

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Cranston pharmacy manager recognized for development of rapid test kiosk

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Kaitlyn Pouliot, 29, pursued pharmacy as a way to combine her love of science/chemistry and finding a way to help people. Now a pharmacy manager at CVS on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, Pouliot played a critical role in the launch of one of the company’s first Covid-19 rapid test outdoor kiosks. She was recently recognized for her efforts and awarded a 2022 Paragon Award for business leadership and customer service from CVS Health on Aug. 3 in Orlando, Florida, at the pharmacy’s annual Retail Leadership Experience.

“I was honored and surprised,” said Pouliot when she discovered she had won the award. “There are so many amazing pharmacists, and I feel so proud of myself and my team.”

Pouliot said she would not be where she was without her team.

CVS Health’s Paragon Award celebrates selected store managers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and pharmacy benefits management employees. Winners are nominated by supervisors and voted on by CVS Health’s senior leaders. The annual Paragon Awards recognize the best of the best among CVS Health’s colleagues and are among the highest honors awarded by the company; there are nine national Paragon Awards given out each year.

According to a Friday press release, Paragon Award recipients are chosen for their commitment to company values and dedication to fulfilling CVS Health’s purpose: bringing our heart to every moment of your health. At the same time, winners have demonstrated their ability to deliver outstanding business results, lead their teams to excellence and make substantial contributions to the communities where they live and work. They are considered role models for the entire company. 

Pouliot was recognized for her ability to unify her team and being a trusted leader. She helped launch one of the pharmacy’s first Covid-19 rapid test outdoor kiosks in March of 2020. Her collaboration with field management, her staff and patients was instrumental in rolling this out to additional CVS Pharmacy stores across the country. She said in an interview Monday that there were two technicians working at the outdoor kiosks which ran from early morning and into the evening; outdoor testing has since discontinued and been moved to another room inside CVS.

Pouliot said the Reservoir Avenue site is one of CVS’s busiest locations in the country and that the store saw a high volume of visitors during the height of the pandemic, due to testing and vaccinations. She rose to the challenge in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus, increase access to testing and help create a healthier Providence County. Pouliot said it was a team effort on putting the operation together and seeing how it would all work.

Making sure people followed Covid-19 safety guidelines and that items were sanitized was important in keeping everyone safe.

“Our Reservoir Avenue store has truly thrived thanks to Kaitlyn’s leadership,” said Jarrod Nedvidek, District Manager for CVS Pharmacy, in Friday’s announcement. “She not only delivers excellent patient care, she also manages to help keep her team’s energy up and engagement high. Kaitlyn has managed to turn an environment that can be stressful at times into a culture of caring for colleagues and patients.”

Cranston’s Reservoir Avenue store is also a CVS HealthHUB, which provides expanded health and wellness products and services. Pouliot was instrumental in ensuring that the store’s Care Concierge team is well-informed about the array of pharmacy and health services the store offers the community and are able to provide advice and counsel to patients. 

Pouliot attended the University of Connecticut as a pharmacy student. She started working at CVS in Barrington where she served as a technician and moved on to a pharmacist position in 2018. Before transitioning to the CVS on Reservoir Avenue, she worked at the company’s Broad Street location. Pouliot resides in Riverside and recently got married.

“It’s such an honor to win this award, and I’m proud to work for CVS,” Pouliot said, adding that it’s important to give community members the best care like they are family.

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