FRANKLIN LAKES, New Jersey, October 22. RECENTLY, Medco, a pharmacy benefit management company, announced the Tour of Champions, which is a health care education speaking tour that will take place throughout the country over the next 15 months. Mark Spitz and Greg Louganis are two of the six Olympians that have signed on to help with the speaking circuit.
Along with Bob Beamon, Peggy Fleming, Bruce Jenner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Spitz and Louganis will travel the country to provide encouragement for Americans who receive treatment for chronic and complex medical conditions.
Both Spitz and Louganis understand the need to top health care, as each of them suffers from a chronic condition. While Louganis' battle with HIV has long been documented and reported, Spitz has fought high cholesterol for quite some time.
"People don't believe that I have high cholesterol, but it's a fact," said Spitz. "I take medication every day because my doctor told me that diet and exercise are not enough to keep my cholesterol down to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. It's reassuring to know that I have a safety net at Medco."
The six Olympians will share their stories of courage, achievement and challenge to underscore the importance of specialized pharmacy care in maintaining good health.
"Having an HIV pharmacist I could turn to, someone who has specialized training in and knowledge of HIV medications, would have made an incredible difference," said Louganis. "With the time limitations that physicians have, if I could have confided with a specialist pharmacist who knew my medical and medication history and would keep it confidential, I may have learned to better manage my HIV sooner."