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                     [LOGO OF NCS HEALTHCARE, INC.]

                                                                 Exhibit 99.36

                                                              December 23, 2002

Dear NCS HealthCare Stockholder:

    I am pleased to tell you that, on December 17, 2002, NCS HealthCare reached
the culmination of a long and difficult three-year journey. That journey started
at the brink of bankruptcy, continued through an exhaustive search of strategic
and restructuring alternatives, nearly to the completion of a merger and,
ultimately, led us to secure a transaction that will deliver value to our
stockholders exceeding our greatest expectations and satisfying all of our
outstanding indebtedness in full. On December 17th, NCS entered into a merger
agreement with Omnicare, Inc. providing for the purchase of all outstanding
shares of NCS Class A and Class B common stock (the 'Shares') at a price of
$5.50 per Share in cash pursuant to Omnicare's amended tender offer. Following
the tender offer, any remaining Shares will be cashed out in a second-step
merger at the same $5.50 per Share cash price. Omnicare will also redeem all of
our outstanding notes at full face value plus accrued and unpaid interest and
redemption premium and repay our bank debt in full.

    The Omnicare transaction became possible as a result of the termination of
our July 28, 2002 merger agreement with Genesis Health Ventures, Inc. After
months of litigation and an unsolicited tender offer by Omnicare, Genesis
terminated that merger agreement on December 16, 2002, enabling us to enter into
the Omnicare transaction. If the Genesis merger had been completed, our
stockholders would have received Genesis common stock valued at that time at
approximately $1.60 for each of their Shares.

    In approving the merger agreement with Omnicare, your Board carefully
considered the terms and conditions of the Omnicare merger agreement. The NCS
Board unanimously determined in good faith, based in part on the opinion of NCS'
financial advisor, Candlewood Partners, LLC, and after considering all terms and
conditions of the proposed Omnicare transaction, that the Omnicare merger
agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the amended
tender offer and the second-step merger that will follow, are advisable, fair to
and in the best interests of NCS and the parties to whom your board of directors
owes fiduciary duties.

    BASED ON ALL OF THE FACTORS CONSIDERED BY THE NCS BOARD, WE UNANIMOUSLY
RECOMMEND THAT NCS STOCKHOLDERS ACCEPT THE OMNICARE TENDER OFFER AND TENDER
THEIR SHARES TO OMNICARE.

    We have enclosed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9
containing the NCS Board's recommendation and explaining the reasons behind it,
as well as the background of the transaction and other important information.
Also enclosed is Omnicare's Supplement to the Offer to Purchase, a revised
(yellow) Letter of Transmittal for use in tendering your Shares and other
related documents. The tender offer is conditioned on the tender of Shares
representing at least a majority of NCS' outstanding voting power, as well as
other conditions described in the tender offer materials enclosed with this
letter.

    All of the Company's directors and executive officers, owning an aggregate
of 1,173,738 Class A shares and 4,810,806 Class B shares, have
informed the Company that they intend to tender their Shares into the amended
tender offer.

    Please give all of the tender offer materials, which are being filed today
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, your careful consideration.

                                          Sincerely,

                                          /s/ JON H. OUTCALT
                                              JON H. OUTCALT
                                              Chairman