MADISON, N.J., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, including employer health and wellness screening and health improvement services, announced a unique collaboration with the American Diabetes Association aimed at helping more people understand their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The collaboration aims to help identify people living with or at risk for type 2 diabetes by increasing access to laboratory screenings through Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness, the company's employer wellness offering. Starting on American Diabetes Association Alert Day on March 28 until April 27, 2017, Quest Diagnostics will donate $1 up to $200,000 to the American Diabetes Association for every employee wellness screening Quest completes on behalf of employers. The company's employee wellness screening typically includes laboratory analysis of blood to help identify diabetes, heart disease and other conditions.
Quest employees will also collaborate with the American Diabetes Association to participate in the "Wellness Lives Here" initiative to share insights on how to lower the risk of developing diabetes, as well as action steps that can be taken to lower glucose/hbA1c once diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 86 million people—or approximately one third of the American adult population—is living with prediabetes. Those in this group have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but the levels are not high enough to warrant a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. However, these individuals are at heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. With no clear symptoms, nearly 90 percent of individuals do not know they have the condition.i
"Type 2 diabetes is a national health epidemic that can be prevented through identification of prediabetes coupled with the delivery of effective diabetes prevention programs for individuals," said Jay Wohlgemuth, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, R&D and senior leader for Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness. "The partnership with the American Diabetes Association allows us to leverage our corporate wellness business and its national footprint to help identify populations within the workforce that are at risk for the disease, increase screening awareness, and deliver effective prevention programs."
In addition to the toll of managing diabetes, type 2 diabetes increases healthcare costs for employers, and contributes to work loss and health-related work limitations.
"We are grateful and excited to have Quest serve as a key partner of our movement to increase awareness of prediabetes and risk for type 2 diabetes," says Alicia H. McAuliffe-Fogarty, PhD, CPsychol, Vice President of Lifestyle Management, American Diabetes Association. "Kicking off on Alert Day, together we can emphasize the importance of annual health screenings, help people learn if they're at risk for type 2 diabetes and promote healthy lifestyle choices. Funds raised from this partnership will help us support lifesaving research and life changing programs that benefit millions of people living with diabetes."
To learn more about American Diabetes Association Alert Day, please visit www.diabetes.org/AlertDayQuest.
To learn more about this initiative and Quest's Health & Wellness offerings, please visit www.QuestForHealth.com.
About Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness
Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness helps companies, both large and small, empower their employees to take positive changes resulting in better health. The company's complete menu of options for employers to improve the health of their employees including customizable screening, reporting and incentive solutions to fit needs that ultimately improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare-related costs. For additional information on Quest's Health and Wellness offerings visit: www.QuestForHealth.com
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 43,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
Quest, Quest Diagnostics, and all associated Quest Diagnostics registered or unregistered trademarks are the property of Quest Diagnostics. All third-party marks are the property of their respective owners.
About the American Diabetes Association
More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, and every 23 seconds another person is diagnosed with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (Association) is the global authority on diabetes and since 1940 has been committed to its mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. To tackle this global public health crisis, the Association drives discovery in research to treat, manage and prevent all types of diabetes, as well as to search for cures; raises voice to the urgency of the diabetes epidemic; and provides support and advocacy for people living with diabetes, those at risk of developing diabetes and the health care professionals who serve them. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Information from both of these sources is available in English and Spanish. Find us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
Contacts:
Kim Gorode, Quest Diagnostics (Media): 973-520-2800
Shawn Bevec, Quest Diagnostics (Investors): 973-520-2900
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics