Health Solutions by Shoppers Drug Mart is launching a health coaching program for plan sponsors to include in their benefits plans.

Aimed at employees with chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, heart disease and obesity, the coaching program will connect plan members with nurses, pharmacists or dietitians through phone or video chat. These specialists will help create a care plan, coordinate on-going services with experts and collaborate with the members’ existing pharmacy and health care provider as appropriate, noted a press release.

Read: Shoppers Drug Mart offering coaching for staff on STD due to mental illness

“The impact of chronic disease in the workplace can be invisible and is often significantly underestimated,” said Mark Rolnick, vice-president of payor partnerships and plan sponsor innovation at Shoppers Drug Mart. “It can have a real impact on an employee’s well-being, engagement and productivity, which affects both the individual and the organization as a whole.

“This program ultimately has the potential to considerably decrease health-care costs faced by employers by providing the tools and resources employees need to successfully maintain treatment of chronic diseases,” he added.