Wichita Public Schools and Dillons Pharmacy
Program Overview
Wichita Public School (WPS) District 259 and Dillons Pharmacy bring high quality diabetes care to WPS employees who are experiencing a diabetes epidemic. Through Project IMPACT: Diabetes, pharmacists provide diabetes education, diabetic supplies, formulary insulin, and oral medications to diabetic patients through one-on-one counseling to create a healthier workforce. A dietician is also incorporated in the process as needed. This proactive and personalized approach focuses on each patient’s needs and interests.
Program Partners
Wichita Public School District 259 and Dillons Pharmacy partner through Project IMPACT: Diabetes to care for employees with diabetes in the district. Wichita Public Schools is a public school system in Wichita, Kansas that employs over 8,000 people. They provide health care coverage to their employees that include “value based benefits,” which offer products and services for no co-pay to remove barriers to treatment and maintenance. Their health care plan covers 5,800 employees and 14,500 members, 12% of whom are diabetic or pre-diabetic. Dillons is part of the Kroger family, a nationwide grocery retailer. Both groups are actively involved in the Wichita Business Coalition on Healthcare (WBCOH), which has supported and profiled the project’s success.
Community Champion:
Dean Benton, PharmD, and Gina Wiedemann
Patient Profile
Patients are a diverse group of teachers, maintenance and grounds workers, and administrative and support personnel employed by Wichita Public School District 259. Their employee benefits support diabetes coaching in local Dillons Pharmacies. These patients are often focused on providing care to others and tend to neglect caring for themselves.
Pharmacists’ Role on the Collaborative Care Team
Patients have face-to-face consultations with the pharmacist that last between 1-2 hours and incorporate discussions that improve diabetes knowledge, enhance the understanding of prescribed treatment, physical activity, foot screening techniques, nutrition, lab values, personal goals, and motivations. Because of the convenience of the pharmacy in the grocery store, pharmacists are able to go into the grocery store with their patients to observe their food choices and provide real-world application of their diabetes education. The personal nature of the consultations creates a deeper trust between the patients and the pharmacists, allowing the pharmacists to discover the root of the patient’s problem and advise accordingly. The program creates a personal relationship between the patient and pharmacist, and pharmacists are able to set realistic goals for each patient’s circumstances. This leads to patients with lower A1Cs who make improved food choices, feel healthier, are energized, think clearer, and enjoy life more fully.
Relevant Statistics – Community Level
According to the Kansas Diabetes Action Council1:
About 179,000 Kansas adults 18 years and older (8.4%) have been diagnosed with diabetes in 2010
In 2010, nearly half of persons living with end-stage renal disease had diabetes listed as the primary diagnosis
Learn more about Wichita Public Schools and Dillons Pharmacy from their profile in Pharmacy Today.
View a video to learn more about this community and its patients before Project IMPACT: Diabetes.
References
Kansas Diabetes Action Council. Burden of Diabetes in Kansas. Available at: http://www.kansasdiabetesactioncouncil.org/system/resources/0000/0288/DiabetesBurdenReport.pdf. Accessed August 7, 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.
American Diabetes Association. Fast Facts Data and Statistics About Diabetes. Available at: http://professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0%20-%20Sean/FastFacts%20March%202013.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2013.