Supermarkets Participating in New Diabetes Ten City Challenge
WASHINGTON -- Giant Eagle, Piggly Wiggly, and Times Supermarkets are among the more than 30 employers in 10 cities across the country that are joining forces with local pharmacists to help change health care in their communities through the Diabetes Ten City Challenge (DTCC). The new initiative, launched by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation, was unveiled here yesterday.
The 10 cities/regions selected to participate are Charleston/Spartanburg, S.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cumberland, Md.; Dalton, Ga.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, Calif.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Tampa Bay, Fla. Giant Eagle is representing Pittsburgh; Piggly Wiggly is representing Charleston, S.C.; and Times Supermarkets is representing Honolulu.
"This is an important milestone for our program with all 10 DTCC locations actively recruiting patients," said APhA Foundation c.e.o. William M. Ellis in a statement. "Nearly 1,000 people already are participating in this innovative, employer-based diabetes management program."
Conducted by the APhA Foundation with support from GlaxoSmithKline, the Diabetes Ten City Challenge establishes a voluntary health benefit for employees and their dependents, provides incentives through waived co-pays for diabetes medications and supplies, and helps people manage their diabetes with help from a pharmacist coach in collaboration with physicians and diabetes educators. The DTCC is modeled after the highly successful Asheville Project in North Carolina, a diabetes management program started 10 years ago that has proven to improve overall health, reduce absenteeism, shorten hospital stays, and reduce health care costs.
"The Diabetes Ten City Challenge is the first-ever national pilot seeking to prove that this model can be used effectively anywhere in the country," Ellis said. "Support from GlaxoSmithKline will allow the research results to be analyzed and shared to encourage widespread adoption of the program."
In addition to the three supermarket chains, the 31 employer participants include six municipal governments, three county governments, three utilities, one school, one association, three health care systems, three universities, and eight corporations.
The 10 cities/regions selected to participate are Charleston/Spartanburg, S.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cumberland, Md.; Dalton, Ga.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, Calif.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Tampa Bay, Fla. Giant Eagle is representing Pittsburgh; Piggly Wiggly is representing Charleston, S.C.; and Times Supermarkets is representing Honolulu.
"This is an important milestone for our program with all 10 DTCC locations actively recruiting patients," said APhA Foundation c.e.o. William M. Ellis in a statement. "Nearly 1,000 people already are participating in this innovative, employer-based diabetes management program."
Conducted by the APhA Foundation with support from GlaxoSmithKline, the Diabetes Ten City Challenge establishes a voluntary health benefit for employees and their dependents, provides incentives through waived co-pays for diabetes medications and supplies, and helps people manage their diabetes with help from a pharmacist coach in collaboration with physicians and diabetes educators. The DTCC is modeled after the highly successful Asheville Project in North Carolina, a diabetes management program started 10 years ago that has proven to improve overall health, reduce absenteeism, shorten hospital stays, and reduce health care costs.
"The Diabetes Ten City Challenge is the first-ever national pilot seeking to prove that this model can be used effectively anywhere in the country," Ellis said. "Support from GlaxoSmithKline will allow the research results to be analyzed and shared to encourage widespread adoption of the program."
In addition to the three supermarket chains, the 31 employer participants include six municipal governments, three county governments, three utilities, one school, one association, three health care systems, three universities, and eight corporations.