ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation-funded research – “Addressing Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) Treatment Through a Collaborative Care Model With Community Pharmacies and a Health Department” – has received strong validation from three physicians at the Mayo Clinic and Saint Vincent Hospital.

The physicians praised the critical work of the NACDS Foundation in a letter-to-the-editor published in Preventing Chronic Disease – a peer-reviewed journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We congratulate the authors on their work in addressing LTBI treatment. Collaborative working relationships between community pharmacies and physicians have improved patient care in many communities. Moving forward with an approach like the one implemented by [the researchers] can best be achieved through better patient education and a decentralization of resources and responsibility, with a shift from large hospitals and departments of health toward community-based pharmacies and pharmacists,” the physicians wrote.

“The approach of involving community pharmacies and pharmacy visits is a brilliant idea for reaching the appropriate populations and improving health care access.”

The New Mexico-based study centered on two goals: 1) to survey patients and further understand their perception of receiving tuberculosis testing in a community-based environment; and 2) to evaluate patient outcomes and access to care when tuberculosis testing and treatment are provided in a community pharmacy setting.

“The NACDS Foundation’s public health research with the University of New Mexico is just one example of the power of innovative care models and public-private partnerships among health departments and pharmacies to improve patient outcomes and chronic disease conditions,” said NACDS Foundation president Kathleen Jaeger. “We appreciate the positive comments made by such respected individuals in the healthcare profession, and of the important recognition that identifying new ways to care is beneficial for expanding access to patient care across the United States.”