Pharmacy brand strives to improve men’s health by launching industry first clinics

Looking to encourage Australian men to be more stringent in having key aspects of their health checked regularly, Discount Drug Stores is launching ‘Men’s Health Tune Up’ clinics in over 100 of its stores throughout July.

In an industry first, the Australian pharmacy brand is striving to improve health & wellbeing in men by providing a more convenient way for them to have a quick and non-invasive check-up of their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.

“We wanted to provide another avenue for Australian men to have all of their key vitals checked without it seeming too confronting or too much of a hassle,” explained Professional Services Manager at Discount Drug Stores, Casey Clark. “Our ‘Men’s Health Tune Up’ clinics will only take 15 minutes but in that time, patients will have their BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol tested with instant results, as well as receive a lifestyle assessment and the opportunity to discuss other health concerns.”

While they may seem non-urgent, these small health checks are actually vital to picking up more serious health conditions before they become too far progressed, with Ms Clark continuing stating the clinics are aimed at encouraging men to be proactive rather than reactive with their health.

“Research has found that men visit their doctor less frequently than women and generally only when their illness is serious,” she said. “It’s this behaviour that needs to change in order to improve overall health in Australian men and to ensure they’re living longer lives.”

The pharmacy brand has a strong track record of picking up potentially serious conditions during its health clinics with close to 50% of patients tested during its bone, bowel and sun awareness clinics being referred onto their GPs or the pharmacist for further treatment or advice.

Acknowledging that many men don’t like talking about or seeking help when it comes to their health, Ms Clark states DDS’ ‘Men’s Health Tune Up’ clinics have been designed to make this process easier but that partners will play a pivotal role in keeping their loved ones healthy.

“Men’s health is always a challenging topic because we often find that men don’t generally make their health a priority,” she said. “This is where partners and family members can play a really valuable role.

“We strongly encourage anyone whose husband, boyfriend, son etc. hasn’t had a health check up in a while to book them into one of our clinics. It will ensure that any underlying issues are picked up before they become serious and will help bring much needed peace of mind to both the patient and their loved ones.”
Costing $20 for a 15 minute consultation with a registered nurse, most clinics will conveniently take place during lunch hours. Patients will also be able to discuss other key health and lifestyle issues that may be affecting them such as mental fitness, hair loss, sleep apnoea and weight. Ms Clark says the campaign is all about awareness and prevention and has been geared towards busy men, giving them no excuse to ignore their health.

“We’ve worked hard to remove the embarrassment factor behind men’s health,” she said. “Our clinics are designed to be quick and almost painless with no invasive exams.  The benefits of having a simple 15 minute check-up are huge and can make a real difference to overall wellbeing, so we hope to see a lot of men taking advantage of this service.”

Bookings are preferred. For more information, please visit www.discountdrugstores.com.au/health-clinics.

Media Enquiries: Suzanne Ross at Graymedia on 07 3250 9406, 0488 441 589 or email s.ross@graymedia.com.au.

Campaign for Change unearths inspiring bright ideas

An ethical fashion line, a touch footy program for disadvantaged youth and an aquaponics program are among the bright ideas unearthed in the 2014 Wesley Mission Brisbane (WMB) Campaign for Change competition.  

More than 60 South East Queenslanders entered the unique competition that encourages local residents to share their bright ideas for improving the local community for the chance to win a $30,000 kick-start to get their project off of the ground.

WMB’s Executive Director Geoff Batkin says he was overwhelmed with the wide and varied entries that ranged from initiatives to combat bullying, to programmes aimed at encouraging Brisbane residents to grow their own produce.

“It was impressive to see the level of thought that people had put into the challenges facing their local community and into devising feasible solutions to those issues,” he said. “It made the judging process incredibly difficult as really, all of the concepts were fantastic initiatives for bringing about positive change and for helping those in need.”

Andrew and Leona Walker, finalists from Ipswich, want their program ‘Rise Above’ to break the cycle of self-harm, self-abuse and addictions among young people and encourage self-love and healthy living.

“Our idea is to create a base where young people can come to learn the life-skills that many of us take for granted,” explained Mr Walker. “We want to inspire disadvantaged youths to rise above their circumstances and empower them to break the cycle of negative behaviours.”

Helping marginalised people in the local Brisbane community to find work is the mission for Rebecca Sheehan who plans to offer work opportunities for skilled refugees through her eco-friendly fashion label, WayWard Community.

“WayWard Community aims to provide society with an alternative to immoral fast fashion production,” she said. “Targeting abuse of labour, WayWard will employ skilled refugees for pattern making and construction, paying award wages and ensuring safe working conditions while developing clothing using 100% salvaged fabrics and trims.”

Other finalists include: New Farm local Rebecca Sheehan, Geoff Wilson from Mt Gravatt Wooloowin resident Angela Harrison and Kate Baker from Petrie.

All five finalists will now enter the next round of the Campaign for Change 2014 competition where they will present a full breakdown of their proposed project and business idea to a selection committee on the 19th of July. The winner will be announced on July 28 and will receive $30,000 from WMB and campaign partners, tailored support from WMB and a short course from Foresters Community Finance. Two runners-up will receive $5,000 from campaign partners PBS Building and enrolment into a short course focusing on starting a social enterprise, sponsored by Foresters Community Finance.

For more information on Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Campaign for Change, please visit www.wmb.org.au 

Media Enquiries: please contact Suzanne Ross at Graymedia on 07 3250 9406, 0488 441 589 or email s.ross@graymedia.com.au.

DDS National Conference focuses on owners' bottom line

Discount Drug Stores has announced a number of new programs and two major initiatives to drive the bottom line of its franchisees at its 2014 National Conference, held in Melbourne from June 1 to 3.

Key among the initiatives, which include new product launches and improved e-commerce and loyalty strategies, was the announcement of an enhanced Medication Management Program, and a new partnership with DAA packing company MPS.

Discount Drug Store General Manager Douglas Kuskopf-Dallas said the initiatives will usher in the next chapter for the brand as the industry enters a period of consolidation as a result of the PBS reforms.

“This is an incredibly challenging time for pharmacy with PBS reforms having a significant impact on profit,” Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said. “At conference we announced a number of programs and strategies to address these challenges and give store owners not only new means to gain back some lost profits, but to achieve growth.”

The conference, which featured a keynote address from Pharmacy Guild of Australia Executive Director, David Quilty and was attended by Victoria Pharmacy Guild President Anthony Tassone, also saw a renewed focus on professional services.

In continued partnership with PharmEngage, DDS announced the enhancement of its highly successful TOP Medication Management Program (MMP), which will now deliver consumer information and patient support programs.

DDS also announced a new partnership with DAA packing company MPS, which will manage community Dose Administration Aids, preparing stores for growing consumer need and enabling pharmacists to spend more time in the front of store consulting with their customers.

Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said DDS would focus on driving both initiatives, which will improve customer health outcomes and drive customer loyalty.

“Our TOP MMP has been a significant success both for customers in improving medication compliance and health outcomes and for our stores in increasing loyalty and thereby profits,” Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said. "Our partnership with MPS will similarly help improve customer compliance and health outcomes, driving customer loyalty to the stores. Professional services continue to be one of our leading priorities and we remain firm that this will be the key differentiator for the future success of our business.”

Other initiatives announced at conference include an enhanced e-commerce platform designed to drive customer engagement with stores, new loyalty program strategies designed to increase brand loyalty, a DDS App designed to incorporate both the loyalty program and assist customers with accessing information from the MMP, an expansion of the brand's products in a number of categories, and a new focus on stocking control brands, with DDS taking on Premium Health Brands' goHealthy vitamin range.

Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said control brands will help stores compete against supermarket private label ranges, offering consumers better value and stores better margins.

“Through taking on pharmacy only ranges such as goHealthy we can both better compete with the supermarket chains and help our owners achieve a better gross profit,” Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said.

Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said all the initiatives aim to encourage owners to work smarter in order to combat the rising challenges in the industry.

“Our 2014 focus is about taking what we’ve done over the past few years to the next level,” Mr Kuskopf-Dallas said. “We need to be utilising our tools and resources more effectively, monitoring and measuring our business with much more precision and most importantly ensuring that our customers are receiving the highest possible level of care and attention at all times. This will be fundamental to our continued success and growth.”

For more information on Discount Drug Stores, please visit www.discountdrugstores.com.au.

Media Enquiries: Suzanne Ross at Graymedia on 07 3250 9406, 0488 441 589 or email s.ross@graymedia.com.au.

New partnership sees Parmia take on the Australian weight loss industry

Leading Queensland based insurance broker Parmia Insurance has secured market leading cover for the Australian Institute of Weight Loss Consultants (AIWLC) in a new partnership that looks set to help take the rapidly growing association to the next level.

A challenging industry to cover due to the wide and varied skills and services that professionals offer, Parmia has successfully developed a policy for AIWLC members that provides comprehensive public liability and professional indemnity protection.

Founder of the AIWLC, Sonja Bella says Parmia’s ability to provide coverage for multiple streams within the weight loss industry was one of the key reasons she engaged the award winning broker.

“The AIWLC covers all aspects of the weight loss industry from nutrition to psychology to personal training and physiotherapy so our members come from many different fields, all of which carry their own unique risks,” she explained. “We needed an insurance provider that would provide a tailored solution to meet all of these demands and Parmia was far and beyond the best choice.”

Established by the National Insurance Broker Association’s 2013 Broker of the Year Danny Gumm in 2002, Parmia is known for tackling hard to cover industries including the beauty and tattoo sectors.

Mr Gumm states he felt a strong need to help protect the weight loss market and specifically the AIWLC given the important role that professionals in this sector play in reducing obesity in Australia.

“Australia has one of the highest obesity rates in the world and fitness professionals, nutritionists and psychologists are vital to reducing this,” he explained. “We wanted to do our part to make sure that they’re able to carry out their jobs confidently and without worrying about whether their insurance adequately covers them. More to the point though, we wanted to help the AIWLC to carry out its important mission of helping Australians to lose weight holistically.”

The AIWLC was established by Ms Bella, who is a highly regarded weight loss professional, in 2012 after she became frustrated at the lack of associations and industry groups that covered all areas of weight loss and management.

“In my ten years of working in the industry both in Australia and overseas, I couldn’t find any organisation that represented all of the different streams of weight loss consultants,” she said. “I wanted to fill this gap because I believe weight loss and management needs to be approached holistically. Psychologists, trainers, nutritionists and all other allied health professionals specialising in weight loss need to work together to address our current obesity epidemic.”

It’s a unique approach that has been met with great enthusiasm within the industry with more than 200 professionals signing to the AIWLC since March. However, Mr Gumm states it’s the fact that the AIWLC focuses on assisting both industry professionals and members of the general public that really drew his attention.

“The AWILC isn’t just about supporting the industry, it’s also about showing the community all of the different lifestyle changes that need to be made in order to lose weight effectively,” he said.

The organisation does this through holding weight loss summits across the country, including the Global Weight Management Congress to be held in Brisbane in December which will teach Australians how to take a multidisciplinary approach to weight loss.

For more information on Parmia or its policies for the weight loss industry industry, please visit www.parmiainsurance.com.au. For more information on the AIWLC, please visit www.weightlossinstitute.com.au.

Media Enquiries: Suzanne Ross at Graymedia on 07 3250 9406, 0488 441 589 or email s.ross@graymedia.com.au.