Price Chopper Debuts ‘Diabetes AdvantEdge’
Price Chopper’s brand-new comprehensive integrated diabetes management program, “Diabetes AdvantEdge,” aims to give people with the medical condition greater access to medication, enhanced support and information, and education on nutrition, better food choices, and disease management.
“Diabetes patients will now have a single destination for their prescriptions, nutritional information and everything else they might need to help them manage their diabetes,” noted Vincent Mainella, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based chain’s VP of pharmacy. “As health professionals, nutrition specialists and providers of life-sustaining products, Price Chopper is both equipped and committed to turning the tide on diabetes.”
“Diabetes has reached a near-epidemic level in our country, and a lot of it has to do with learning how to take care of ourselves,” added Maureen Murphy, Price Chopper’s manager of consumer trends, nutrition and lifestyles. “Price Chopper has everything customers need to help them in managing diabetes — the best in fresh produce, seafood, meat and deli items; sugar substitutes; high-fiber, sugar-free, lighter and lower-calorie foods; blood-testing supplies; [and] over-the-counter and prescription medications, as well as access to our team of registered dietitians, online diabetes-appropriate recipes and health information.”
The heart of the program is its provision of free diabetes medications such as metformin, glipizide and glyburide, the most commonly prescribed drugs for people with the conditions. Customers filling these prescriptions will also get free lancets and lancing devices to help them monitor their blood sugar levels. In one-on-one consultations, Price Chopper pharmacists will more actively encourage and educate customers on the use of blood sugar-recording logs as tools to improve communication with their doctors.
Other components of the program include:
—Auto-enrollment in the Refill AdvantEdge program, which helps customers be consistent in taking their medications, an essential element in managing diabetes. Once the patient enrolls, medications will be automatically refilled and available at the pharmacy for monthly pickup
—Access to diabetes-friendly recipes from Eating Well magazine and an online diabetes health center
—Access to a trained nutritionist for answers to questions on eating and recipes, by calling Price Chopper’s toll-free line (1-800-666-7667, option 2) or visiting www.PriceChopper.com
—Access to NuVal, the nutritional scoring system that assigns a score from 1-100 — the higher the score, the higher the nutrition — on almost every item in the store.
—Coupons and promotions for healthy items throughout the store, and e-mail updates on events such as food tours, cooking classes and diabetes topics
Price Chopper customers will have regular opportunities to meet with the chain’s team of pharmacists as a resource for diabetes management, and registered dietitians will also be on hand in-store, online and via social media to offer guidance foods and recipes appropriate for diabetics.
“I come in contact with many people who don’t understand the devastation of diabetes, as well as families who need help managing the day to day choices that need to be made when living with this disease,” noted Beverly Kennedy, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the Albany, N.Y., area. Kennedy observed that the program would “not only help those living with diabetes, but … also further educate the general public about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”
Along with Diabetes AdvantEdge, Price Chopper’s pharmacies are expanding an existing program that provides free antibiotics to customers with qualified prescriptions. The program, which was piloted in the chain’s Connecticut stores, will now roll out to all 70 of its pharmacies.
Golub Corp. owns and operates 125 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Golub’s approximately 25,000 associates collectively own 52 percent of the company’s privately held stock.
“Diabetes patients will now have a single destination for their prescriptions, nutritional information and everything else they might need to help them manage their diabetes,” noted Vincent Mainella, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based chain’s VP of pharmacy. “As health professionals, nutrition specialists and providers of life-sustaining products, Price Chopper is both equipped and committed to turning the tide on diabetes.”
“Diabetes has reached a near-epidemic level in our country, and a lot of it has to do with learning how to take care of ourselves,” added Maureen Murphy, Price Chopper’s manager of consumer trends, nutrition and lifestyles. “Price Chopper has everything customers need to help them in managing diabetes — the best in fresh produce, seafood, meat and deli items; sugar substitutes; high-fiber, sugar-free, lighter and lower-calorie foods; blood-testing supplies; [and] over-the-counter and prescription medications, as well as access to our team of registered dietitians, online diabetes-appropriate recipes and health information.”
The heart of the program is its provision of free diabetes medications such as metformin, glipizide and glyburide, the most commonly prescribed drugs for people with the conditions. Customers filling these prescriptions will also get free lancets and lancing devices to help them monitor their blood sugar levels. In one-on-one consultations, Price Chopper pharmacists will more actively encourage and educate customers on the use of blood sugar-recording logs as tools to improve communication with their doctors.
Other components of the program include:
—Auto-enrollment in the Refill AdvantEdge program, which helps customers be consistent in taking their medications, an essential element in managing diabetes. Once the patient enrolls, medications will be automatically refilled and available at the pharmacy for monthly pickup
—Access to diabetes-friendly recipes from Eating Well magazine and an online diabetes health center
—Access to a trained nutritionist for answers to questions on eating and recipes, by calling Price Chopper’s toll-free line (1-800-666-7667, option 2) or visiting www.PriceChopper.com
—Access to NuVal, the nutritional scoring system that assigns a score from 1-100 — the higher the score, the higher the nutrition — on almost every item in the store.
—Coupons and promotions for healthy items throughout the store, and e-mail updates on events such as food tours, cooking classes and diabetes topics
Price Chopper customers will have regular opportunities to meet with the chain’s team of pharmacists as a resource for diabetes management, and registered dietitians will also be on hand in-store, online and via social media to offer guidance foods and recipes appropriate for diabetics.
“I come in contact with many people who don’t understand the devastation of diabetes, as well as families who need help managing the day to day choices that need to be made when living with this disease,” noted Beverly Kennedy, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the Albany, N.Y., area. Kennedy observed that the program would “not only help those living with diabetes, but … also further educate the general public about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”
Along with Diabetes AdvantEdge, Price Chopper’s pharmacies are expanding an existing program that provides free antibiotics to customers with qualified prescriptions. The program, which was piloted in the chain’s Connecticut stores, will now roll out to all 70 of its pharmacies.
Golub Corp. owns and operates 125 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Golub’s approximately 25,000 associates collectively own 52 percent of the company’s privately held stock.