DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreen Co. plans to offer free blood glucose testing and A1C testing at more than 1,700 stores and Take Care Clinics nationwide starting next week.
The drug store chain said Thursday that the free diabetes health testing events, held in tandem with American Diabetes Month, are scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be available at most 24-hour Walgreens stores and Take Care Clinics.
Each participating Walgreens will host an eight-hour walk-in clinic offering a free blood glucose test or, in most states, a free A1C test for individuals diagnosed with diabetes, according to the company. Walgreens pharmacists and Take Care Clinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants are available for patient consultations, and in most locations they will also administer the tests.
Also as part of American Diabetes Month, Walgreens will make a $100,000 donation to the American Diabetes Association.
"Walgreens recognizes the need to further heighten diabetes awareness, and by offering free testing in thousands of communities nationwide, we’re providing a valuable health care resource that may save lives," Walgreens president of pharmacy services Kermit Crawford said in a statement. "Through these events and through interaction with our pharmacists and Take Care Clinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants, we’re providing the tools and information to improve the lives of those at risk for or affected by diabetes."
Walgreens noted that its drug stores and Take Care Clinics conducted free blood glucose testing in November 2009 as well as last February. More than 200,000 people were tested during those events, with over 25% testing at-risk for diabetes.
Last month, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected that a third of Americans could have type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, the drug chain reported. Nearly 24 million U.S. children and adults live with diabetes, and another 57 million Americans have prediabetes, according to the CDC.
Citing other CDC data, Walgreens said the number of Americans with diabetes has more than quadrupled to 24 million over the past two decades. The CDC also has found that the percentage of those with diabetes who are unaware they have the disease has fallen, yet there are more than 5 million Americans with diabetes who are currently undiagnosed.
