Aurora promotes wider use of vitamin D

Chain Drug Review, Jan 19, 2009

MILWAUKEE -- Aurora Health Care, a not-for-profit health care provider that operates more than 130 pharmacies in Wisconsin, is ramping up its efforts to promote the use of vitamin D.

The company's care management clinical leadership team has committed to educate all Aurora caregivers about the benefits of vitamin D. The move is in response to growing evidence that higher vitamin D levels may improve outcomes for patients with heart disease, osteoporosis, certain muscle conditions and seasonal depression.

"We are the first integrated health care system to advocate for community-wide use of vitamin D," notes Dr. John Whitcomb, Aurora's medical director for patient access. "We want everyone in Wisconsin to take vitamin D during the winter."

Staff at Aurora's pharmacy, QuickCare and Urgent Care centers are now trained to educate patients on vitamin D's benefits and what dosages to take, Whitcomb says. Aurora Sinai Medical Center's emergency department has instituted a policy that every chest pain patient receive a loading dose of vitamin D. Other Aurora hospitals are considering adopting similar strategies, and Aurora is in the process of spreading the word among its physician offices and clinics.

Dr. David Smith, Aurora's medical director for care management, supports a strategy recommending people take at least 1,000 to 2,000 units of vitamin [D.sub.3] daily during winter. The angle of the Midwest sun is so low that the skin does not get any ultraviolet rays, which it needs to make vitamin D.

In related news, researchers writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology have recommended that physicians screen for and treat low vitamin D levels in patients because of its link to major cardiovascular events.