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Team-based virtual care services to provide day-to-day support for employees with chronic disease

TORONTO, April 17, 2019 - Employers can help fill a gap in healthcare for employees with chronic diseases by adding health coaching services to their health benefits plan. To help make this happen, Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart has launched a team-based health coaching program for employers that connects employees—by phone or video chat—with nurses, pharmacists and/or dietitians so that they can better manage their conditions in their daily lives.

More than half of Canadian adults have at least one chronic condition, which means that lifestyle changes (e.g., nutrition, physical activity) as well as daily medications can be critical for successful treatment. However, studies repeatedly show that many people struggle to maintain treatment, which ultimately can lead to a worsening of their condition and higher healthcare costs, often paid for by their employer.

"The impact of chronic disease in the workplace can be invisible and is often significantly underestimated. It can have a real impact on an employee's well-being, engagement and productivity, which affects both the individual and the organization as a whole," says Mark Rolnick, Vice-President of Payor Partnerships and Plan Sponsor Innovation at Shoppers Drug Mart. "Our health coaching program is a turnkey, affordable strategy for employers and their employees."

The solution, according to a growing number of research studies, is team-based health coaching. The Health Solutions health coaching program builds upon this growing medical evidence, as well as learnings from a successful pilot project conducted by Shoppers Drug Mart in 2018 involving five Canadian employers.

Offered by employers, the program is focused on helping employees who have been diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, and/or obesity. Specially trained nurses work with employees to create a care plan, and to help coordinate on-going coaching services from nurses, pharmacists and/or dietitians, as required. The service includes coordination with the employee's existing pharmacy and healthcare provider team, as appropriate.

"More than 80% of employees with chronic disease say they would like to know more about their condition and how to treat it. We are excited to work with insurers and employers to help close this gap and provide their employees with more of the day-to-day support they are looking for," says Rolnick. "This program ultimately has the potential to considerably decrease healthcare costs faced by employers by providing the tools and resources employees need to successfully maintain treatment of chronic diseases."

About Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart – Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart is a division of Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw Companies Ltd., which operate more than 1,700 pharmacies and 2,300 retail locations across Canada. Established in 2010, Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart is committed to helping employers and their benefits providers deliver more cost-effective and sustainable employee health benefits, with a focus on improving employee well-being and ultimately health outcomes. Health Solutions programs leverage our unique network of pharmacists, nurses and dietitians, and currently include the HealthWATCH^® drug plan, HealthWATCH^® specialty care, and health coaching for employees at work and off work due to disability.

About Shoppers Drug Mart As one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing Shoppers Drug Mart is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec). The Company operates almost 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores across Canada. The Company also licenses or owns 47 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé in Québec) and provides cosmetic dermatology services at one standalone location, the Beauty Clinic by Shoppers Drug Mart. The Company owns and operates 36 corporate Shoppers Home Healthcare stores, seven Wellwise by Shoppers Drug Mart stores and an ecommerce site Wellwise.ca.  The Company also owns Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services, and MediSystem Inc., a provider of pharmaceutical products and services to long-term care facilities. Shoppers Drug Mart is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited.