Walgreen to restructures pharmacy, services businesses

Walgreen Co., the largest U.S. drug- store chain, said it will restructure its health-care businesses to save money and that Stanley B. Blaylock, president of the health-services unit, will leave in April.

Deerfield-based Walgreen will pull together all of its types of pharmacies under the management of Kermit Crawford, Tiffani Washington, a company spokeswoman, said today. The pharmacy-benefits services business will move under the management of Hal F. Rosenbluth, along with workplace and retail clinics, she said.

The changes will save money by eliminating overlapping functions, she said. Some job cuts may be part of the restructuring, Washington said. She didn’t specify how many.

Blaylock plans to pursue "entrepreneurial opportunities" in the health-care industry, the company said in a statement.

Pharmacies and services now under Crawford include Walgreen's specialty, infusion, medical campus and long-term care pharmacies as well as its mail-order business.

Walgreen fell 2 cents to $35.22 at 11:38 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares rose 49 percent last year.