Q&A: Ruchi Kumar on expanding access to obesity care at Shoppers Drug Mart
Obesity care is changing, and Shoppers Drug Mart is aiming to help move it forward. Through a partnership with Obesity Canada, the retailer launched its new Weight Management Program, which centres on giving more Canadians access to care and resources, advancing awareness of obesity as a chronic disease and reducing weight bias and stigma. Patients get virtual access to a nurse practitioner and registered dietician, as well as in-person support from their local pharmacist.
Canadian Grocer spoke with Ruchi Kumar, VP of pharmacy services and strategic initiatives at Shoppers Drug Mart, about the gap the program fills, why it’s important to reduce stigma and the changing role of pharmacies. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you share the thinking behind the Weight Management program and what needs you’re aiming to address?
First off, I will say obesity is a complex chronic condition and we believe patients deserve an accessible, evidence-informed, compassionate program. There can be stigma associated with obesity, and this program, in collaboration with Obesity Canada, is designed to help break down barriers for patients and bring care closer to home.
We know that about 5.9 million Canadians do not have access to a primary care provider. At the same time, about two-thirds of Canadians are either living with obesity or are overweight, causing a significant challenge for our healthcare system.
The program is free for eligible adults, which also makes care easier to access. It’s ongoing, with access to a nurse practitioner, a dietitian and a pharmacist as part of a care team. We know obesity is influenced by several factors like genetics, lifestyle and nutrition, and a care team is helpful to support patients in achieving their health outcomes.
What does personalized care look like in the program on a practical level?
The key difference here is a coordinated plan between a nurse practitioner, a dietitian and access to a pharmacist. This is a virtual, 12-month program that is completely free for patients and eligible adults to access. It means that they get to speak to a nurse practitioner and get a comprehensive assessment of their condition and together come up with treatment options. Sometimes treatment options include medications, sometimes they don’t. The patient also gets access to a free consultation with a dietitian, which will include personalized recommendations depending on their health needs and dietary preferences, as well as ongoing support from a pharmacist at a pharmacy of their choice.
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What stigma around obesity do you think still exists, and why is that such an important part of the program?
It really comes down to recognizing obesity as a chronic disease. And once that step is overcome, it changes the conversation from blame to actually figuring out how you can support a patient on their journey. As a pharmacist myself, I saw in my practice that obesity is no different than a chronic condition like diabetes, where we know there’s a host of factors that go into a patient delivering on their health outcomes.
And so, [reducing stigma] comes from the care team and the patient recognizing together that this truly is a chronic disease, and there are genetics, nutrition and many other factors that the patient needs to be supported with on an ongoing basis. And that is really what we’ve centred our program around.
How is the role of pharmacies—and Canadians’ expectations of them—evolving?
Pharmacists are seen as trusted healthcare professionals that are accessible, and pharmacies are open late and on weekends. Of course, patients tend to see pharmacists quite often when they are filling prescriptions, if they have other chronic conditions, or if they have kids or older adults that they may care for in their family. We are seeing governments across Canada recognizing this role as they are expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists, allowing patients to get care faster and closer to home. So, we are seeing a larger role that pharmacists can play, especially as part of a care team and in the gap when patients do not have access to primary care.
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What impact do you hope the new Weight Management Program will have?
We’re excited to see how patients access this program. We look forward to seeing the health outcomes for patients as part of the program… as well as how healthcare system challenges could maybe become a little bit smaller with the provision of this free virtual care program related to obesity in Canada.
