Arlington, Va. – A National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) op-ed published by Morning Consult today describes the role of community pharmacy practice and of NACDS members’ philanthropic initiatives in helping to prevent and manage diabetes.
“Two of the central areas where pharmacies and pharmacists have the greatest impact in diabetes are medication management and behavior change programs to improve eating habits and increase physical activity. Beyond these critical factors, pharmacists are also key in working with patients on the lifelong management of diabetes,” wrote NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE.
“The prevention and management of diabetes require constant focus, and community pharmacists are ideal partners in that important work.”
Anderson described pharmacists’ extensive education, as well as the accessibility and trusted care that pharmacies bring to neighborhoods across the country. He also noted strong support among the public for enhancing patients’ access to pharmacist-provided services.
“Most Americans (89 percent) live within five miles of a community pharmacy. Ninety percent of Americans say that pharmacies are easy to access, and 82 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of their pharmacists,” Anderson wrote. “Pharmacists’ education empowers them to do more to improve patient health and quality of life, which is why voters support Medicare enrollees being able to receive newer services from their pharmacists. In fact, 81 percent of voters support pharmacists being able to help Medicare patients with managing illnesses like diabetes.”
The opinion research findings are from a January 2018 survey of registered voters conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS.
In addition, he described NACDS’ 2017 Chain Pharmacy Community Engagement Report. In a survey and interviews that were the basis for the report, NACDS chain member companies identified diabetes prevention and healthy meals as one of the top three areas of focus for creative programs and philanthropic pursuits beyond their daily work in healthcare delivery.
Anderson also noted the new “Rx for the National Diabetes Prevention Program,” a road map for pharmacists developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help prevent new cases of type 2 diabetes.
“The prevention and management of diabetes require constant focus, and community pharmacists are ideal partners in that important work,” Anderson said.
