We want to recruit veteran talent, yes. But more than that, we want the military community to know we care about the whole of who you are

It was an honor for me to serve for eight years as a US Marine. While I no longer wear the uniform, it is incredibly rewarding to work for a company so committed to serving those who serve and their families.

At CVS Health, our diversified workforce is the foundation of our business, and we work on recruiting and company-wide training that promotes active and purposeful inclusion. On my team, we’re focused on investments to strengthen our Workforce Initiatives, including meaningful career paths for the Military community. We recognize the value of military service and know that our veterans' skills and experience are unparalleled.

I know that transitioning to post-military careers can be a challenge for veterans and their families. Our team is actively working to recruit, hire, train, and retain veterans, current Guard and Reserve members and military spouses across all parts of our business. Since 2015, we have hired nearly 20,000 colleagues with military experience and more than 7,000 military spouses, and we still have much more work ahead of us.

Last year, we expanded our work with the Department of Defense SkillBridge Initiative. The DoD SkillBridge program is an opportunity for Service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. Right now, the DoD SkillBridge Initiative is at four military bases: Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

We also expanded our Hiring Our Heroes partnership last year to a total of 10 bases, with new locations including Fort Bliss, TX; Shaw Air Force Base, SC; Joint Base McGuire-Dix in NJ; and the USS Carl Vinson, a U.S. Navy Ship that ports in Bremerton, WA. Our program is dedicated to hiring those who have served our country while executing on our commitment to building an inclusive, diverse workforce.

We work with transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses to help connect them to opportunities throughout our business, including store associates and managers, pharmacists, MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and leaders in our corporate offices.

CVS Health’s commitment to Veteran inclusion amongst our workforce is unwavering. So far this year, we’ve been listed on the Best 2020 list for Veteran Friendly programs and Supplier Diversity, 2020 DiversityInc Top 50 Company for Diversity and Military Times Best for Vets.

To me, the most important part of our initiatives and programs is that we continue to evolve and expand our reach to touch even more Service members and their families. As we look to 2021 and beyond, we’re constantly looking at other ways to find Veterans' meaningful employment and health care opportunities.