Retail pharmacies prioritize the democratization of health
Supermarket pharmacies are throwing a lifeline to the record number of Americans struggling to access healthcare in the form of mobile health clinics, free immunizations and pay-over-time prescription programs.
Many are also leveraging their vast food selection and nutritional expertise to provide one-on-one guidance from dietitians that allow patients to consider food as medicine and stretch their grocery budgets while maximizing nutrition.
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These services come at a time when 11% of U.S. adults indicate having recently been unable to afford or access quality healthcare, show the findings of the new West-Health Gallup Healthcare Indices Study.
Since 2021, the percentage of Americans classified by the study as cost secure—being able to readily access and afford basic healthcare and prescribed medicines—is down to a record low.
DSN asked several supermarket pharmacy executives to weigh in on how they’re enhancing healthcare accessibility and providing food-as-medicine services to consumers.
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How are your supermarket pharmacies helping expand healthcare access, especially in rural or underserved communities?
Katie Thornell, director of pharmacy operations, Stop & Shop: Stop & Shop Pharmacy operates more than 200 locations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and is continually expanding healthcare access in multiple ways. The pharmacy provides a variety of in-store services, including immunizations administered by Stop & Shop’s trained and trusted pharmacists—often at no cost with most insurance plans. Available vaccines include RSV, COVID-19, flu, hepatitis A and B, HPV, pneumonia, shingles and Tetanus.
In addition to immunizations, Stop & Shop Pharmacy offers diabetes management support, wellness events, medication therapy management and prescription fulfillment for both people and pets and savings for nearly 200 generic prescriptions.
Committed to reaching underserved communities, Stop & Shop Pharmacy’s pharmacists travel to under-resourced communities to provide free immunization clinics. Through its partnership with Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program, the pharmacy helps expand healthcare access at local schools. The School Food Pantry Program was created to remove barriers to student success by ensuring consistent access to food. Stop & Shop collaborates with schools from Pre-K through college to support or establish food pantries, providing gift card donations to help stock their shelves.
In 2024, Stop & Shop pharmacists conducted nine free immunization clinics for COVID-19 and flu at Title I schools in underserved neighborhoods across New York City, New Jersey and Rhode Island. These clinics provided 314 vaccines to 282 patients at no cost. In addition to schools, its pharmacists hold immunization clinics and wellness events at retirement homes, Boys & Girls Clubs, food banks, places of worship, and other social service organizations.
Anthony DalPonte, president of pharmacy and health, Albertsons Companies: Albertsons Companies pharmacies play a pivotal role in expanding healthcare access to support the health and well-being of the communities we serve. We are committed to investing in initiatives that bridge the gap between rural or underserved communities and essential food, medicine and healthcare services.
One of our key efforts includes the deployment of mobile wellness clinics. Our team of licensed pharmacists and trained technicians help provide a range of services at most locations, including diagnostic testing for A1C, cholesterol and blood glucose, as well as immunizations for adults and children, such as COVID-19, influenza, shingles, pneumonia and tetanus. Designed to be flexible, these mobile clinics offer services at convenient times, including evenings and weekends, to ensure maximum accessibility.
Additionally, many Albertsons Cos. pharmacies offer regular food and prescription delivery services to help overcome transportation barriers that many residents in rural areas face. This service ensures that community members can maintain their health regimen.
We provide specialized care at most locations for mental health and recovery through long-acting injectables, which help improve treatment adherence and reduce the risk of relapse. Patients also have access to a patient care coordinator at many pharmacies to assist with prescription adherence, co-pay assistance and prescription delivery.
Angie Nelson, senior vice president, pharmacy, Hy-Vee: By nature, our Midwestern footprint of where our stores are located often make our pharmacists the nearest health care provider in many rural communities. Our pharmacists and dietitians embrace their role as trusted health care professionals and are committed to building long-lasting relationships with the individuals and communities they serve.
To increase health care access and reach more patients, we’ve invested in tools like virtual dietitian services and expanded pharmacy offerings to make it easier for individuals to get things like immunizations, biometric screenings, nutritional counseling and over-the-counter medication recommendations. We also deliver health and wellness services into the community using our mobile health units.
Additionally, we understand that health care costs can pose barriers to patients seeking care. We recently partnered with GoodRx and Affirm to offer a “buy now, pay over time” payment option on prescriptions to reduce upfront costs on patients. Patients who select this payment method can now have their prescriptions filled at their local Hy-Vee Pharmacy.
Bill Shinton, vice president, health and wellness, Kroger: Kroger Health is dedicated to expanding healthcare access, particularly in rural and underserved communities, through a variety of initiatives. Our Kroger Family of Pharmacies participate in the 340B program, offering outpatient medications at reduced rates. Beyond our pharmacies, we provide care through The Little Clinics in eight states and telehealth services in nine states, ensuring patients have flexible and affordable healthcare options. Our clinics accept most Medicaid, Medicare and insurance plans, making quality care more accessible.
Additionally, Kroger Health launched a Smart Benefits program which integrates Kroger Health’s services with Soda Health’s &more platform, allowing Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and employer benefits recipients to access pharmacy, nutrition, and other eligible healthcare services. Further supporting rural health, Kroger Health is a sponsor of the AgriSafe Nurse Scholar program, which equips nurses with the knowledge and resources to address the occupational health needs of farmers and ranchers.
Are your stores offering personalized nutrition advice alongside your pharmacy offerings?
Thornell: Stop & Shop Pharmacy collaborates closely with Stop & Shop’s Nutrition Partners, a team of registered dietitians. With specialized training and expertise, they help customers and community members achieve their food and nutrition goals.
Serving all customers across Stop & Shop’s five-state footprint, these dietitians offer a variety of free services, including access to webinars, which they collaborate with our pharmacists on, and digital resources on topics ranging from managing diabetes and heart health to meal planning and budget-friendly eating.
In addition to personalized support, Stop & Shop’s registered dietitians provide in-store healthy grocery shopping tours for customers, schools and nonprofit organizations. Partnering with nonprofits, they also travel to community locations to teach classes on meal preparation, cooking and overall wellness.
Recognizing the vital role food plays in overall health, Stop & Shop’s registered dietitians are passionate about empowering individuals and communities to lead healthier lives.
DalPonte: We believe that wellbeing should be accessible to everyone. Albertsons Cos.’ Sincerely Health platform, available for free on our store websites and apps, helps millions of customers eat, live and feel better. Shoppers can access a range of digital lifestyle solutions.
With Sincerely Health, customers can set nutritional goals, such as consume more fiber, receive insights and discover supportive foods and delicious recipes. The platform also features a nutrition calculator that measures the nutritional value of the items customers shop for, providing quick basket insights to see if their purchases align with USDA's MyPlate nutrition recommendations and offering recommendations for substitutions that meet their nutrition goals.
Additionally, shoppers can earn healthy points for adding nutritious foods from all five food groups to their cart, progressing through goals and completing other wellness activities. These points can be redeemed for rewards and savings on groceries.
Albertsons Cos.’ nutrition services are designed to help customers make more informed choices about their diet and overall health, complementing the comprehensive healthcare services provided by our pharmacies. These lifestyle offerings, in addition to digital pharmacy tools within the platform, offer a broad and holistic approach to managing the wellbeing of individuals and families.
Nelson: As a grocery retailer and health care provider, we are uniquely positioned to reach, engage and support individuals in their journey to better health. Leveraging our existing nutrition, pharmacy and clinical services, we developed a comprehensive Food is Medicine program to help improve the health of our patients to ultimately reduce their overall health care expenses.
We teamed up with Soda Health to launch a new Smart Benefits program that allows Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and other health insurance beneficiaries to receive personalized health and wellness benefits by visiting their local Hy-Vee store. These benefits are delivered down to the SKU-level to ensure that dollars are used on products that contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
We are also launching Food as Medicine pilots with Tufts University and State Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, as we seek to measure the health benefits behind pharmacist and dietitian interventions.
Dr. Marc Watkins, chief medical officer, Kroger: By incorporating nutrition guidance with grocery shopping, we are striving to make it easier for customers to achieve their health and wellness goals.
Kroger Family of Stores offers personalized nutrition advice alongside our pharmacy offerings. Customers can easily find nutrition options while shopping by utilizing the OptUP Nutrition program and checking the FoodHealth Score of their favorite products. Kroger Plus loyalty customers can OptUP their nutrition further by unlocking one free 30-minute dietitian visit for customized product recommendations, meal hacks and delicious, budget-friendly meal planning inspiration to identify new ways to connect with food. These virtual sessions fit a customer’s schedule, letting them connect with a registered dietitian from anywhere.
In addition to our personalized nutrition advice, Kroger Health enhanced its weight management program in 2024 by incorporating GLP-1s. The program’s personalized, holistic approach supports patients through registered dietitians, pharmacists, and clinicians, offering meal planning, medication counseling, and ongoing care.