Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor

New arthritis screening program opens at drugstores near you

By Canadian Chiropractor staff   

News

Sept. 9, 2013 – Canadian retailer Shoppers Drug Mart has launched the company's Arthritis Screening program, an initiative that allows Canadians to work with a pharmacist to help detect and manage arthritis condition at an early stage.

Shoppers Drug Mart announced the new program today with Health Minister Rona Ambrose.

An estimated one in six Canadians aged 15 years and older live with
arthritis and its prevalence has a tremendous impact, translating into
lost productivity, absenteeism and increased health care spending –
costing an estimated $33 billion annually, according to a statement
issued by Shoppers Drug Mart announcing the new program.
 
”Our
Government supports initiatives that help Canadians better manage their
health and improve their quality of life,” Ambrose said. “We are pleased
to have funded research that contributed to the development of this
innovative new program that will improve the quality of life of
Canadians living with arthritis.”
 
The program was developed from
research carried out at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada with
funding from the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research. It shows how researchers, patients and the private
sector can work together to provide innovative health solutions to
Canadians.
 
Pharmacists at more than 1,200 Shoppers Drug Mart
stores across Canada will be providing arthritis screening and
information to Canadians as part of a three-year partnership between
Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, Arthritis Consumer Experts and the
Arthritis Research Centre of Canada.
 
“Shoppers Drug Mart
pharmacists are already actively involved in managing complex chronic
diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and now arthritis,” said Domenic
Pilla, president and CEO, Shoppers Drug Mart. “By becoming increasingly
involved in managing complex chronic diseases, pharmacists are helping
to ease the burden on the health care system, while also helping to
improve patient care.”
 
The Shoppers Drug Mart Arthritis
Screening is the first and only program in Canada designed with women in
mind, according to the company. Arthritis affects two out of three or
2.8 million Canadian women. To help detect the disease at an early
stage, the program includes a self-administered joint exam and
questionnaire. It also helps Canadians with arthritis work with a
pharmacist to monitor their symptoms and medication over time to prevent
the disease from worsening, the retailer said.
 
"The arthritis
community is excited to be partnering with Shoppers Drug
Mart/Pharmaprix. They’re on main streets across Canada, right where the
more than 4.6 million Canadians living with arthritis live and work.
Pharmacists are a key member of an arthritis patient’s healthcare team.
Now, Shoppers’ pharmacists will be able to share valuable arthritis
information and detect or confirm arthritis with patients through
innovative consumer education programs right at the pharmacy counter,”
says Arthritic Consumer Experts founder and president, Cheryl Koehn.
 
“We’re
thrilled that Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix is putting our research to
work by launching this important initiative in its stores,” said Dr.
John Esdaile, scientific director of Arthritis Research Centre of
Canada. “Early diagnosis of arthritis is critical to slowing the
progress of this disease. That’s why Arthritis Research Centre of Canada
scientist Carlo Marra and his team have invested enormous energy in
developing the screening exam tool for pharmacists. We hope Canadians
will get screened through this program and get access to the care they
need to improve their health and quality of life.”
 
Arthritis is
the second most frequently mentioned condition as a cause of disability
among men, but first among women. Arthritis related disability includes
limitations in mobility, such as moving around, reaching and bending and
transportation; self-care; domestic life; and community, social and
civic life.

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