DEERFIELD, Ill., September 16, 2011 - Walgreens Chief Medical Officer Cheryl Pegus, MD MPH and Jagdish Khatter, VP Diabetes Services, PharmD, discussed today the array of innovative programs the Company has undertaken to address the growing diabetes epidemic in the U.S. The presentation at the 2011 Joslin Diabetes Roundtable in Boston, Mass., titled, “Enhancing Access to Diabetes Care in Your Community and At Work,” outlined the tactics and approaches Walgreens is utilizing to prevent diabetes, care for patients, and the positive clinical outcomes that these efforts have demonstrated.
Walgreens has a well-established commitment to developing innovative programs to address the growing diabetes epidemic. In 2006, Walgreens and Joslin announced a sweeping Alliance to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes and those at risk. At the 2011 Joslin Diabetes Roundtable, Pegus and Khatter highlighted the key diabetes initiatives aimed at cost-effectively preventing and addressing the disease, including:
- Collaborative efforts between Joslin and Walgreens, such as a diabetes training program aimed at thousands of pharmacists, online disease management training for Take Care Nurse Practitioners and MDs, and diabetes education classes in community settings.
- Access to affordable ways to promote wellness and prevent the disease through Walgreens Take Care Clinics, Wellness Bus Tours and new Food Oasis programs in “food desert” markets without access to fresh foods.
- The success of pharmacist and health coach intervention efforts at the worksite through the Dimensions Program, and in the community through Walgreens Optimal Wellness.
“Diabetes is one of the most serious health issues facing our country today, and the evidence is clear that new and innovative approaches are needed to successfully impact the spread of this epidemic,” said Cheryl Pegus. “With Walgreens unmatched footprint of over 8,500 points of care, we are uniquely positioned to provide patients access to programs that can help them both prevent and manage this disease. In Joslin, we have an ideal partner to help us build on the experience of our clinicians and drive measurable health outcomes for our patients.”
“Walgreens commitment to its customers’ health and its reach into America’s communities make it an ideal Alliance partner for Joslin as we strive to fulfill our mission to help those with, and at risk for, diabetes regardless of geography,” said Martin Abrahamson, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “Diabetes is best managed using a multidisciplinary, team based approach to care, and keeping this disease under control requires patients to make decisions on everything from food to medication on a daily basis,” said Dr. Abrahamson. “Walgreens has the scope to address patient wellness and prevention and also provide interventions at multiple points of care. This, along with our clinical expertise, is a powerful combination, and we are excited by the difference we can make together.”
The Joslin Diabetes Roundtable is an annual event that brings together leaders of the diabetes community to discuss and share thoughts on advancing care and education for patients and their families. In addition to hearing from Joslin experts and thought leaders from industry and academia, attendees take part in interactive breakout sessions aimed at spurring new thinking on addressing diabetes in America.
The Opening Reception on September 15th took place at the Boston Public Library at 6:00pm and the conference took place on September 16th at 8am, at the Harvard Medical School.
Pegus was named Walgreens CMO in May 2010 and has more than 18 years of clinical practice and industry experience. Previously, she was general manager and chief medical officer for SymCare Personalized Health Solutions, Inc. Prior to joining SymCare in 2007, she held a number of positions at Aetna, eventually becoming head of clinical products for the company’s Medical Products business unit. She was also medical director for the Cardiovascular Risk Factors Group at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Pegus is a board-certified physician with subspecialty training in cardiology.
Dr. Jagdish Khatter has a decade of experience in pharmaceutical operations in long-term care and assisted living. As a pharmacist who is board certified in diabetes care, chronic pain management and geriatric pharmacy, Dr. Khatter is a national speaker who shares his expertise about diabetes treatment and management with both clinicians and patients. He has been a certified diabetes educator for the past 15 years and has been involved with the creation of diabetes management programs for the long-term care industry. Dr. Khatter was also the recipient of the Colorado Pharmacist of the Year award in 1994.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,760 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
About Joslin Diabetes Center
Joslin Diabetes Center is the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure. Joslin is an independent, nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. For more information about Joslin, visit www.joslin.org. Keep up with Joslin research and clinical news at Inside Joslin at www.joslin.org/news/inside_joslin.html, Become a fan of Joslin on Facebook at www.facebook.com/joslindiabetes and follow Joslin on Twitter at www.twitter.com/joslindiabetes
Walgreens
Jim Cohn, 847-315-2950
jim.cohn@walgreens.com