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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred’s Pharmacy reports that it’s gaining traction with its preventive health care services.
Fred’s said Thursday that it provided more than 100,000 preventive screening touchpoints during its 2016 first quarter. Those services included over 60,000 colorectal cancer screenings kits, about 37,000 blood pressure checks and nearly 800 flu shots.
Heart disease claims more than 370,000 lives in the United States annually and is the leading cause of death for men and women, according to Fred’s.
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the pharmacy retailer noted that flu viruses infect up to 20% of Americans — leaving 200,000 hospitalized and causing 36,000 deaths each year — and more than 134,000 people died from colorectal cancer in 2012.
“For many of our customers, the most frequent interaction they have with a health care provider is with Fred’s more than 1,000 pharmacists,” Jaime O’Bar, director of pharmacy operations for Fred’s, said in a statement. “The first step in preventing disease and improving health is personal awareness, and we are honored that our customers trust Fred’s pharmacists in a way that has had a direct impact on their health.”
Besides immunizations for diseases such as shingles, measles and pneumonia, Fred’s Pharmacy offers 90-day prescription services to help patients with disease management and medication compliance, as well as medication synchronization so that all of a patient’s prescriptions to be ready on the same day each month, saving him or her extra trips to the pharmacy.
Overall, Fred’s has 304 full-service pharmacy departments inside its more than 650 discount general merchandise stores in 15 southeastern states.
