Supervalu Expands Diabetes Program

DAN ALAIMO

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. — Supervalu Pharmacies here has expanded its Eating Healthy With Diabetes program from the Chicago area Jewel-Osco stores to 16 additional states.

The program's two-hour sessions help patients set health goals, and include a 90-minute store tour teaching participants how to read food labels, understand carbohydrates and make healthy food choices. The tours run through the end of this month.

“The response to this 90-minute walking tour of our grocery store has been overwhelming,” Chris Dimos, president, Supervalu Pharmacies, told SN. The tour is led by a specially trained diabetes-care pharmacist and a registered dietitian. “Attendees find this unique opportunity to be a great experience and to have great value in understanding how to make better decisions about their nutrition,” he said.

“Eating Healthy With Diabetes is a great example of how we provide a health-focused shopping experience for our grocery and pharmacy customers,” Dimos said. “Patients with diabetes can look to our specially trained diabetes-care pharmacists as their source for information and guidance on making wise and healthy decisions. At the same time, they can rely on our stores to provide quality food choices to maximize health. The combination between understanding the basics of nutrition and knowing the latest health and product recommendations are keys to living healthy with diabetes.”

Supervalu Pharmacies is engaged in a long-term commitment to help people manage their diabetes, Dimos added. “Supervalu Pharmacies hopes to help our customers with diabetes accomplish their diabetes goals. Our goal is to provide them with the tools and information they will need to enjoy the best quality of life possible. We expanded the Eating Healthy With Diabetes program because our patients have a need for education on nutrition as it relates to diabetes. This education program is designed as a tool to help avoid the complications of diabetes. We also offer a range of special services in our pharmacies to help people with diabetes manage their condition,” he said.

Tour participants will learn about other diabetes-care and educational services available at Supervalu Pharmacies, including group classes and individual services to help people avoid hypoglycemia, ease fears of injecting insulin, and receive instruction on monitoring blood glucose levels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta estimates that 20.6 million Americans age 20 years and older currently have diabetes, and the numbers are growing.

“With the rates of diabetes and obesity rising at an alarming pace, Supervalu Pharmacies hopes to address this public health concern through education. By teaching our patients and store customers how to make wise food and pharmacy choices, we believe our pharmacists can help patients with diabetes live longer and experience a better quality of life,” Dimos said.

The program had a 10-year run in Jewel-Osco stores before being expanded this year, he noted.