Chain unveils Shoppers LOVE YOU program, partnership with Osteoporosis Canada

TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart has unveiled a three-year, $1 million partnership with Osteoporosis Canada as part of the retailer’s new Shoppers LOVE YOU program.

The Canadian drug chain said the alliance aims to build awareness among Shoppers Drug Mart customers about how to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the broken bones that the condition can cause. New educational resources are slated to become available to Canadians starting early next year.

The effort also will support continuing education for Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists about how to help patients slow the progression of osteoporosis through medication, vitamin supplementation and lifestyle changes.

Meanwhile, the new Shoppers LOVE YOU program is designed to help women stay focused on their health. Shoppers Drug Mart said that over the past five years it has contributed more than $57 million on behalf of its customers, associate owners and their store teams to local, regional and national women’s health initiatives, benefiting more than 1.5 million Canadian women.

Shoppers LOVE YOU connects women in support of women’s health initiatives through such events as the Shoppers LOVE YOU Run for Women, which supported local women’s mental health in 12 communities across Canada this past year; twice-annual Beauty Galas at Shoppers Drug Mart stores, in support of cancer patients and breast cancer screening; and the Growing Women’s Health campaign (formerly Tree of Life) in support of community women’s health programs. Local women’s health organizations can also apply for funding.

“Our support of women’s health has never been stronger. The new Shoppers LOVE YOU program is about helping women to stay focused on being their best, because we believe you’re at your best when you love you,” Lisa Gibbs, director of community investment at Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re sharing the expertise of our partners at leading women’s health organizations like Osteoporosis Canada so that we can help women stay focused on making their own health a priority.”

Osteoporosis Canada noted that pharmacists can play a role in helping Canadians address the risks posed by the bone disease. Each year in Canada, broken bones caused by osteoporosis are more common than heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer combined, and at least one in three women will break a bone because of osteoporosis. What’s more, 80% of Canadians who break a bone due to osteoporosis are never diagnosed with the condition, and osteoporosis and the fractures it causes cost the nation’s health care system $2.3 billion each year.

“Pharmacists are an accessible yet untapped resource who can help advise women on lifestyle changes, vitamin supplementation and medication adherence to prevent broken bones due to osteoporosis,” stated Dr. Famida Jiwa, president and chief executive officer of Osteoporosis Canada. “We are optimistic that our new partnership with the Shoppers LOVE YOU program will help reduce the risk of osteoporosis for women who need extra guidance to improve their bone health.”