SAFEWAY, OTHERS LAUNCH DIABETES PROGRAM

STEPHANIE LOUGHRAN

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Forty retailers, including Safeway here, have embarked on a program of diabetes clinical assessment tests as part of a diabetes educational program targeted toward women.

Pharmacists will conduct finger-stick tests and check blood-glucose levels, said Murhl Flowers, director of pharmacy operations, Safeway Eastern Division, Lanham, Md.

"Diabetes is one of the major diseases we confront in pharmacy with our patients," Flowers said. "It's an important, integral part of the pharmacy business, and we have to be involved in the education part of it."

Two Baltimore-area Safeway stores, one on Pratt Street and another on Boston Street, will conduct the clinical assessments on June 14 and 15, respectively. Additionally, 20 Baltimore-area Safeway stores are also taking part in the "Take Time to Care" program by handing out informational brochures and literature on diabetes to patients. Safeway's Eastern Division has 104 stores with pharmacies.

Other retailers, like Farmer Jack Supermarkets, Detroit, began conducting patient clinical assessments last week at five Detroit-area locations. The schedule for conducting the clinical assessments has varied from retailer to retailer, starting on May 28 and continuing through June 22.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health, and the American Diabetes Association worked together to develop a diabetes education program targeted to women in time for Mother's Day and Women's Health Week, said Phil Schneider, NACDS' vice president of external affairs and program development.

The "Take Time to Care" initiative incorporated two components, he said. The program "gets people at risk to know what their risks are, and shows diabetics how to manage their disease," Schneider told SN.

Out of the 17 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, 60% are women, according to a statement prepared by NACDS.

The educational program kicked off at a Safeway store in Washington recently to educate women on the management and prevention of diabetes. Nearly 21,000 supermarkets and chain drug stores, including Weis Markets, Giant Food and Walgreens, in 10 major cities with high rates of diabetes have been participating in the program by providing educational brochures for patients since early May. Other cities where retailers are participating in "Take Time to Care" include Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago.

While Safeway has provided diabetes screenings "on occasion," Flowers said, "we certainly anticipate on doing it more so in the future."