Diabetes prevention drive draws NACDS funding

ALEXANDRIA, Va. —In a major push for pharmacy-based community health and diabetes prevention, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation said it would provide $15,000 in seed money to the Latino Diabetes Association to support new patient education and outreach programs.

The grant will bolster the LDA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, which is offered free to all residents of Southern California who have developed, or are at risk of developing, diabetes. The association’s diabetes education and outreach programs will involve community pharmacists in the region.

The education and prevention campaign could become a template for other areas of the nation to adopt, according to NACDS Foundation president Phil Schneider.

The LDA is one of the largest diabetes organizations in the United States, and also the only diabetes organization focusing on inner city Latinos.

Through the prevention program, the group plans on developing a report designed to educate other community pharmacies in the region on diabetes.