VillageMD, COPD Foundation partner to raise awareness 

CHICAGO and MIAMI – Walgreens-backed VillageMD and the COPD Foundation have announced a partnership to better identify and treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Village Medical Practices. The partners aim to raise awareness through education and outreach campaigns to patients, help identify those with undiagnosed COPD and increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation, according to a press release. “Patients who are living with COPD struggle with ongoing discomfort, breathlessness and chronic coughs – and we have ways to help improve quality of life,” said Clive Fields, M.D., co-founder of VillageMD. “Through this partnership with the COPD Foundation, we will help our patients and at-risk populations manage or even prevent COPD through trusting patient-provider relationships, comprehensive care teams and expanded access to rehabilitation resources.” In the U.S., there are an estimated 15 million America adults with undiagnosed COPD, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. VillageMD received an additional $5.2 billion investment from Walgreens Boots Alliance in 2021 to accelerate the opening of at least 400 Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in more than 30 U.S. markets by 2025 and 1,000 by 2027.