A new business trend in the making? New York area drug store chain Duane Reade has announced it will establish the Diabetes Resource Center, with services and assistance to be provided free of charge to diabetics and their families, whether or not they are customers of the stores. The center will be created at the Duane Reade flagship store on Broadway in New York City. According to the company's press release, there is lots on the agenda: "The first of its kind, the Center offers a full range of services and educational training to encourage the adoption of lifestyle changes that can help promote long-term good health." This assistance will be provided by the store's pharmacists, staff and by certified diabetes educators. Some sessions will be scheduled and registration is required, but the center will also offer a walk-in advice clinic and reference library.

Interested? Duane Reade invites you to call or email for more info. The phone number is 1-866-913-8486 or 1-212-586-0354. Email the company at brodink@duanereade.com. The company's website is www.duanereade.com.

The idea, say company reps, is for Duane Reade to reach out and help the thousands of diabetics in the NY area who are not getting adequate care for the condition. Doubtless, this move is also intended to be good for business. And, hey, why not? It's a for-profit enterprise, after all. Makes you wonder...maybe Duane Reade, in establishing the Diabetes Resource Center, is upping the ante in attracting the valuable spending potential of diabetic customers. Other drug store chains up until now have seemed content to give a nod to their diabetic customers by displaying insulin pumps and other paraphernalia near the pharmacy checkout. Maybe, however, this will spark more ambitious measures elsewhere...