MOUNT PROSPECT, IL-A host of dignitaries, including Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn were on hand on Tuesday to officially open the new $67-million CVS Caremark Mail Service Pharmacy and Customer Center here.

The 150,000-square-foot facility will employ 400 people by the end of this year and will have the capacity to fill up to 50 million prescriptions annually. Jobs at the Mount Prospect facility will include pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, automation technicians and process improvement engineers. CVS Caremark is headquartered in Woonsocket, RI.

“We are pleased that CVS Caremark chose to build their new state-of-the-art facility right here in Illinois,” Gov. Quinn said. “Millions of our residents rely on CVS as their local pharmacy and their decision to expand in Mount Prospect will create jobs, spur more economic development and improve the health of local communities.”

Proprietary technology at the facility enables 90% of prescriptions to be dispensed and 80% of prescriptions to be packaged for mailing, using full automation. In addition, in order to further assure safe and accurate dispensing, all prescriptions are visually checked by one of the on-site pharmacists before they are mailed, company officials state. The center will support pharmacy inventory and fulfillment needs across the CVS Caremark Pharmacy Benefit Management system, which serves approximately 60 million members throughout the United States.

"This new CVS Caremark mail service pharmacy and Customer Center is a great example of our commitment as a pharmacy innovation company to helping people on their path to better health," said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Caremark. "The combination of technologically advanced automation and the expertise of our highly qualified pharmacy teams help us ensure people have convenient access to affordable medications."