Back in a February '07 post, I described an initiative by New York drug store chain Duane Reade. The chain had announced it was opening a free diabetes center. The idea was to drum up business by meeting customer demand for diabetes-related advice and services. At the time, I thought it was an interesting story - perhaps the sign of a new trend on the rise. And definitely a sign of the commercial clout wielded by diabetics.

A few months down the road and it looks like the concept has really taken off. A Duane Reade press release has announced that the center will be expanding its services to keep pace with demand. Yep. The Duane Reade Diabetes Resource Center will now be offering space in its support groups to anyone from the NY metro area, not just to those who had already enrolled in their education classes. Although registration is required, those educational and support group sessions are all totally free. Partial funding for the center comes from Novo Nordisk.

If you live in the NY area and are interested, call 1-866-913-8486 or email brodink@duanereade.com.

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...

I was surprised to learn that diabetic test strips have been the target of a group of drug store bandits in Manhattan, New York City. The thieves, who have been caught on drug store security cameras, committed a series of armed robberies at four Duane Reade pharmacies in Manhattan, beginning in January of this year. According to police, they demanded not money or prescription pills as one might expect, but instead wanted diabetic test strips.

Now why would a thief want diabetic test strips, you ask? According to police, the strips are in demand from diabetic consumers who are having trouble affording to buy them retail (they sell at around $90 a box), and so are easy to re-sell at a profit. Police say the strips are increasingly turning up for sale on the black market and on E-Bay.

Police are investigating the case.