CAMP HILL, Pa., and MINNETONKA, Minn. — Rite Aid Corp. is offering a diabetes management program at its more than two dozen stores on Long Island, N.Y.
The drug chain said Thursday that 27 Rite Aid pharmacies on Long Island, part of the metropolitan New York area, are participating in the Diabetes Control Program (DCP), part of UnitedHealth Group’s Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance (DPCA).
The DPCA is a community-based initiative aimed at stemming the rising incidence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
According to the companies, the DCP is now available at no cost to Long Island residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored health plans.
Via the program, Rite Aid will connect people who have diabetes and are enrolled in the DCP with Rite Aid pharmacists trained in diabetes care and medication therapy management, offering one-on-one consultations that provide education and support. Pharmacists will also consult regularly with those patients to gauge their success complying with prescribed diabetes regimens and review test results for blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol.
"Rite Aid’s relationship with the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance is an important step to show our patients with diabetes that they aren’t alone when it comes to managing their diabetes," Robert Thompson, executive vice president of pharmacy at Rite Aid, said in a statement. "Long Island patients enrolled in the Diabetes Control Program can now receive one-on-one counseling with a Rite Aid pharmacist specifically trained in diabetes care and medication therapy management, all at no additional out-of-pocket cost."
Through the DCP, the goal for patients is to improve blood glucose control, since each percentage-point drop in HbA1c levels reduces by 40% the risk of developing complications from diabetes, which include heart disease, nerve disease, blindness and limb amputations, according to UnitedHealth.
"Rite Aid is a longstanding partner in the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance," stated Deneen Vojta, senior vice president at UnitedHealth Group and chief clinical officer of the DPCA. "By expanding the Diabetes Control Program into Long Island, Rite Aid is helping more people with diabetes learn how to take control of the disease, make healthy lifestyle changes and improve their health."
