'Home Emergency Essentials' Items at drugstore.com Help Consumers be Prepared for Any Emergency; New Emergency Kits Available Due to High Demand.Business Editors BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2003 drugstore.com, inc. (Nasdaq:DSCM DSCM Dry Standard Cubic Meter DSCM Demand and Supply Chain Management DSCM Digital Security Countermeasures DSCM Data Standards Configuration Management Board DSCM Master Chief Data Systems Technician (US Navy Rating) ), the leading online retailer of health, beauty, wellness, personal care, and pharmacy products, is now offering Home Emergency Essentials - basic items that could provide comfort, health, and safety in a time of crisis. Over the past year, the drugstore.com(TM) Web site has seen significant increases in sales of emergency preparedness items: sales of first-aid kits and batteries, for example, have increased more than 95% and 115%, respectively. The Home Emergency Essentials page on the drugstore.com(TM) Web site allows customers to easily locate a wide selection of items recommended by the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. and the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States . A home disaster kit gives customers the confidence of knowing they have what they need in the event of an emergency, and the drugstore.com(TM) online store provides the convenience of ordering the necessary products from the comfort of their home. "It's important for families to feel secure and confident in the face of an emergency such as Hurricane Isabel, as well as floods, earthquakes, tornados, blackouts, and other disasters," said Dave Krishna, drugstore.com(TM) clinical pharmacist. "Families should know what to do in case of an emergency: they should discuss how to escape from the home and which out-of-town contact to call if they are separated and local phone lines are down; and they should have a disaster kit. Be prepared - just in case." The basics of an all-purpose disaster kit include at least three days of food and water per person and a first aid kit. Each person should have one gallon of water per day - more for children, nursing mothers, and those who are ill. Pack ready-to-eat foods that need no refrigeration refrigeration, process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective. . Energy bars, peanut butter, crackers, vitamins, and cereal are good choices, as are canned meats, fruits, and vegetables, provided a non-electric can opener is available. To keep warm, pack at least one complete set of clothing for each family member, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, a jacket, comfortable shoes, a hat, and gloves. Be sure to consider special needs for infants, elders, and people with disabilities. The emergency preparedness kit should also contain: -- Two pairs of latex gloves; consider a protective cream such as Hand Sense, which increases protection against contaminants, cold, and dampness -- Bandages, sterile dressings, bandage tape, scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends and tweezers tweezers An instrument with pincers used to grasp or extract. See Optical tweezers. -- Antibiotic towelettes or other cleansers -- Moist towelettes to help stay fresh -- Antibiotic ointment antibiotic ointment Any of a number of topical antibacterial ointments or creams and burn ointment -- Thermometer -- Eye wash solution -- Prescription medications and supplies such as asthma inhalers, insulin, contact lens solution, eyeglasses eyeglasses or spectacles, instrument or device for aiding and correcting defective sight. Eyeglasses usually consist of a pair of lenses mounted in a frame to hold them in position before the eyes. , and heart medicines - the government recently recommended having at least a six-day supply -- Non-prescription medicines, including aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever, anti-diarrheal medications, antacids Antacids Definition Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid. Purpose Antacids are used to relieve acid indigestion, upset stomach, sour stomach, and heartburn. , laxatives Laxatives Definition Laxatives are products that promote bowel movements. Purpose Laxatives are used to treat constipation—the passage of small amounts of hard, dry stools, usually fewer than three times a week. , syrup of Ipecac Syrup of ipecac (derived from the dried rhizome and roots of the Ipecacuanha plant), is an emetic—a substance used to induce vomiting. It is used in cases of accidental poisoning, and is perhaps the best-known emetic. and activated charcoal (use if advised by Poison Control Center poison control center Toxicology A nonprofit facility, often affiliated with a university or hospital, that provides emergency toxicology assessments by telephone, and treatment recommendations, primarily to parents of children who swallowed a household product, ), as well as potassium iodide tablets (brand name iOSAT), which are now considered an important component of radiological emergency preparedness by many state and local governments -- Survival gear: plastic garbage bags and ties, duct tape, plastic sheeting, glow sticks, space blanket, poncho, emergency whistle, toilet paper, and heat packs -- Other supplies: scissors, Swiss army knife, flashlight, and a battery-operated radio with extra batteries -- Consider adding: a cell phone and petroleum jelly Pack the emergency preparedness kit in a duffle bag, backpack, or even a plastic trashcan so it is easy to carry in the case of an evacuation. Store it where you can get to it easily from inside your home and, if medicines are included, in a cool, dry place. It's important to review emergency preparedness kits every six months to one year. Replace expired medications, stale food or water and batteries as necessary. Information on emergency preparedness and a wide assortment of emergency products can be found at www.drugstore.com, under "Emergency Essentials." For more information, see the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Web site at www.ready.gov and the American Red Cross Web site at www.redcross.org. About drugstore.com drugstore.com, inc. (Nasdaq:DSCM) is the leading online health, beauty, wellness, personal care, and pharmacy solution in the world. The drugstore.com(TM) online store provides a convenient, private, and informative shopping experience that encourages consumers to purchase products essential to healthy, everyday living. The online store offers thousands of brand-name personal health care products at competitive prices; a full-service, licensed retail pharmacy; and a wealth of health-related information, buying guides, and other tools designed to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers can personalize their shopping experiences with shopping lists, e-mail reminders for replenishing regularly used products, and private e-mail access to pharmacists and beauty experts for questions. drugstore.com, inc. has been awarded the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS VIPPS Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites ) certification by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP NABP National Association of Boards of Pharmacy NABP Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted ) as a fully licensed facility exercising the best safe pharmacy practices in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. |
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