Diabetes Alert Day: The Pharmacist’s Powerful Role in Diabetes Care

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Diabetes Alert Day is “observed annually on the fourth Tuesday in March by the American Diabetes Association” and it “is a one-day ‘wake-up call’ that focuses on the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of understanding your risk.”¹

“It’s important because of how many people that don't know right now that they have diabetes,” William A. Bryson, PharmD, backup pharmacy professional services manager at K-VA-T Food Stores, told Drug Topics. “The National Institutes of Health estimates there are 8.7 million people that don't know they have diabetes and the American Diabetes Association said it's as many as 20% of people with diabetes that don't know they have it.”

In a bonus rendition of the Over the Counter podcast powered by Drug Topics, we sat down with Bryson to get his perspectives on the pharmacist’s role in diabetes management and why a dedicated alert day for this chronic illness can raise patient awareness on a monumental scale.

“Having a dedicated day like Diabetes Alert Day [allows] the community pharmacy [to] educate patients that come into the pharmacy and capture, hopefully, a large chunk—if not all of that chunk—to get diagnosed and to get treatment for their diabetes,” he continued.

Learn from a pharmacy and diabetes education expert on how pharmacies are bolstering the diabetes crisis in the US, the opportunities for utilizing untapped resources, and the evolving pharmacy landscape opening up doors in the diabetes care space.

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes of Over the Counter powered by Drug Topics. Check out our most recent episode with Annie Lambert, PharmD, BCSCP, who explored the evolving landscape surrounding compounded GLP-1s.

Don’t get left behind: Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips delivered straight to your inbox.

REFERENCE

Diabetes Alert Day®. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. February 2025. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/diabetes-alert-day